Dog Days of Summer
by Vinyl Mono
Summary: Sesshomaru,age 14,cannot face reality so stays in his own world. Soon he meets Rin,age 14,a free spirit. Both have alot in common more then they'd like to admit. As they grow closer over the summer so do their lost sense on reality. Coming of age story.
1. Crazy

b Vinyl Mono here this is another one of my Sesshomaru and Rin stories it's going to be a light yet slightly dark tale of love. Hope you enjoy its a short chapter but longer ones to come! Peace/b

i _Raised in a small broken up family in the state of North Carolina was anything but easy. Especially when you're insane and forced to go see a psychitrist three times a week. But all you want to do is masturbate and smoke with your friends while telling stories along the railroad tracks giving no two shits 'bout anyone but yourself. When I was fourteen I thought I knew everything..._ /i

"Now what might this be?"

A heavy sigh sounded throughout the quiet office.

"I told you I don't see anything..."

"Sesshomaru you must see something. This test is to allow you to-"

"Look, I know" he replied sharply.

Dr. Creed frowned putting the ink blot card down and listened to what his patient had to say.

"I' m suppose to emphasize perception and apperception. But you see I just can't. This test is crap, it's never worked for me" Sesshomaru answered holding his head with his hand, his fingers running through his hair.

"And why do you think that so? Maybe you're just not thinking hard enough...or are you even trying...hmm?" Dr. Creed conversed rubbing his chin.

"Are you implying something?" Sesshomaru snapped his head back toward his therapist.

"No, I'm just saying that..." Dr. Creed stood up with his hands behind his back. "Sometimes you don't want to cooperate" Dr. Creed turned to him. Sesshomaru eyed him fiercely.

"Like you're holding something back. And what is it Sesshomaru? We can talk you know. About anything. We aren't so different, but you still won't reach out unless you learn to trust" Dr. Creed leaned against his desk.

Sesshomaru never averted his eyes in those seconds of staring into Creed's pathetic ones. His hands bulged into fists, white knuckled, with his nails tearing the leather chair's skin open. His senses increased taking in every scent, sound, his tongue tasting his upper gums dryly. His breathing hypervenalited as his heart rate increased.

"You know you're right" he swallowed in.

"...And frankly I want to keep it that way! Because hell! What the fuck has it done for me anyway!"

"Sesshomaru!" Dr. Creed scolded as Sesshomaru violently jumped up from the chair making it to the door.

"And one more thing... Don't you b **dare** /b compare yourself to me! You may know my history but don't you ever say anything to me that incrediably stupid. You never had to go through the crap I have! And if you did! You still wouldn't know me!" he furiously barked.

"Sess-!" Dr. Creed sighed he was too late. Sesshomaru slammed that door shut and was gone. He doubted the young boy would come back.

"Dammit.." he silently cursed and dropped down in his chair. Sesshomaru was one of his toughest patients to crack. He opened up the record file that was lying ontop his desk and began reading.

** b **Sesshomaru Tashio

Age:14

Very high IQ with a history of arson and staying in a juvenile detention facility.

Mental Illness: He suffers from pyschosis in which he has a bipolar disorder and some cases of paranoia. He must take his medication every day and night.** /b **

"Must be taken every afternoon and every night huh...Well...screw that!" Sesshomaru backhandingly threw his medication bottle into a trash can behind him.

b I remember, I remember when I lost my mind

There was something so pleasant about that place.

Even your emotions had an echo

In so much space /b

Sesshomaru places his hands in his pockets as he struts down the street.

b And when you're out there

Without care,

Yeah, I was out of touch /b

His eyes scan at the people on the road driving past him. But a sceneary melts in his mind as the cars drive upward taking on a flow of striking colors, the sky is black with violet, blue, and yellow stars. Birds in the sky take on the form of puppets strings propeling their wings. The sparkling gas from the car's exhaustion sprinkle the grass on the sidewalk beside Sesshomaru. Tall stems sprout from the ground long and thin as petals emerge breaking open. A huge orange monarch appears from the tallest blooming flower spreading it's giant transparent wings out.

b But it wasn't because I didn't know enough

I just knew too much

Does that make me crazy/b

Sesshomaru sighs and blinks. The monarch is actually miniture balancing on the bridge of his nose, but he makes a pulse and the butterfly flutters off. He looks out, everything has returned back to normal.

b Probably... /b

He turns around and sees he's reached his destination -MG's Records, Cd's, and Tapes.

"Okay! Found Metallica..now where the hell is it?" a wolf demon boy popped up from the shelf and began shuffling through a row of cds. His hair was ebony, long, and tied back into a ponytail. His signature brown headband accompanied his forehead.

The bell above the door to the music store jingled but he paid no mind to it as he searched furiously.

"If someone already bought it I'm gonna- Aha!" his blue eyes glimmered in success. "Yes! Found it!" he held up his coveted cd.

"Master of Puppets. Good choice."

The wolf demon gasped swerving around, his ponytail whipped behind him.

"Shit! Sesshomaru you gota stop sneaking up on me like that!" the wolf demon spat as he handed the clerk his pay. The clerk gave him back his change and a bag with his cd in it.

"Sorry. You look so hot when your determined Koga..." Sesshomaru replied as they walked out and headed down the street.

"Shut the fuck up fag..." Koga grinned knowing he was just joking and reached into his pocket for a lighter. He lite the cigarette popping from his fangs.

"Hey give me one of those."

"Sorry...last one" Koga grinned wider as he shut his lighter and placed it back into his pocket.

"Great now what the hell I'm I gonna smoke...?" Sesshomaru groaned.

"Hey don't get pissed with me. Kevin's probably got a bag of hash waiting for us anyway...Besides what happen to the pack of cig's you had with you yesterday?" Koga turned to him releasing a drag.

"My cousin came over..." Sesshomaru said walking ahead like it was nothing.

Koga blinked catching up with him.

"And?" he grinned wanting more details.

"We smoked it."

Koga's jaw dropped. "The whole thing?"

"Na just half of it. He later stole the rest of it. Klepto-bitch..."

Koga started to laugh as Sesshomaru grinned starting to laugh himself.


	2. Crime

i _A bag Kevin did have for us once we arrived at his house. We hung for awhile and latered rolled up joints. 'Cept I didn't take one. I just really wanted a cigeratte. _ /i

"So where do you wanna go?" Koga asked lighting his joint.

Sesshomaru shrugged placing a well earned cigeratte in his mouth borrowing Kevin's lighter.

"Hey! I know!" Kevin shouted already getting high. Sesshomaru and Koga turned their attention towards him.

"The-the...the..." Kevin began snapping his fingers bowing his head as he thought real hard. Sweat poured down his sideburns to his neck it being a blistering hot day in May and the fact he was wearing a long sleeved T-shirt.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes while flicking the lighter shut.

"Wait! I got it!" Koga grinned widely. "The railroad tracks! We haven't walked down there in a long time!"

"Dude are you pyschic!" Kevin exclaimed.

"No why?" Koga shook his head.

"Because that's just what I was gonna say!" Kevin grinned excited with a bounce.

"No...way!"

"Yes...way!"

"Awesome!" Koga hi-fived Kevin, but Kevin missed his hand and fell to the grass hysterically laughing. Sesshomaru half-frowned staring down at Kevin who only gave him his signature grin -dimples pressed tight among the mass of freckles, hazel eyes near to tears, while his firery red hair was sprawled amongst the green grass blades.

i _Kevin's my other best friend and to this day I still wonder why Koga and I hung out with the guy. I mean he was sixteen why would he want to associate with us/i _

"Hey...Sess I need a hand..." Kevin replied calming down but still grinning. Sesshomaru took a quick drag of his cigeratte and grabbed Kevin's outstretched hand helping him get to his feet.

"Thanks man" Kevin said as Sesshomaru handed him back his lighter.

i _Than again maybe he was just lonely. His parents divorced and he lived with his mom. For some reason he always thought Koga and I were the coolest people around this boring town and was so into us that we accepted Kevin as one of our own. I must admit he was a bit loonier than I was but in his own way was pretty cool himself. Kinda like a surrogate big brother or even a father. _ /i

"So to the tracks! Onward men!" Koga pointed to the direction of the path that led down to the semi-abandoned tracks and began marching.

"Come on lets go!" Kevin grinned softly popping one on Sesshomaru's shoulder and ran after Koga.

Sesshomaru sighed tapping the ash off his cigeratte butt.

"Hey! You coming?" Kevin smiled beckoning him to come with the wave of his hand.

Sesshomaru coughed and nodded catching up with Kevin who swung his arm around his shoulder.

"Hey did your hair get longer?" Kevin asked pointing to his shaggy silver bangs.

"Yea, I was thinking of letting it grow out" Sesshomaru replied brushing his bangs with the back of his hand behind his ear.

"Very smart" Kevin approved letting his arm slip back to his side and took another hit on his joint.

The boys made it to the tracks passing the empty train station and started south. They arrived where the railroad tracks descended across two gorges.

"Nice one..."

"You couldn't even see it" Sesshomaru dryly said staring down at the rushing water.

The three were sitting on the edge of the wooden planks of a railway bridge. Koga on the left, Kevin on the right, and Sesshomaru in the middle. All with their legs hanging over the edge. Koga and Kevin were hawking loogies down the drop to the murky dark water below.

"Yea I could. You just weren't squinting your puppy eyes good enough" Kevin proudly smiled puffing hash smoke all in his face.

"Fuck you Kevin..." Sesshomaru growled as his eyes began to water up waving away the smoke. His only response from Kevin was a screechy howl of laughter.

"Hey...what would happen if a train just came all of a sudden?" Koga said in thought even though these tracks were hardly used anymore.

"We'd be fucked" Sesshomaru shrugged taking another drag.

"Na all we have to do was jump."

"Kevin it's a 50-foot drop" Sesshomaru stated flatly.

"So...we'd be... fucked either way?"

"Yea, well...not if there's some chance you actually do survive and can swim through Bear Creek's currents."

"Why do they even call this place Bear Creek?" Koga asked onimously as he laid down. "It's more of a lake or a river if you ask me" he opinonated watching the clouds pass by.

"I heard that the dude who named it Bear Creek was attacked by a bear. Maybe that's why" Kevin said joining Koga and turning to him.

"Bullshit..." Sesshomaru retorted stubbing his cigeratte butt against the wood and lyed down in between them.

"Bull-true!" Kevin argued back.

"Come on Kev, have you ever once...in your entire life seen a bear out here?" Sesshomaru said placing his arms behind his neck.

"Yea" he answered surprising them.

"When?" Sesshomaru asked very skeptical.

" You weren't with me it was like a week or... two weeks ago or wait... maybe it just during this week but..."

"Get on with it" Koga groaned impatient.

"There I was standing in my backyard smoking a joint and looking for something, I forget what I was looking for...I think it was my sneakers since I had to leave them outside because they got all dirty and you know how my mom gets when.."

"Kevin!" Koga shouted to bring him back to focus. Sesshomaru just rolled his eyes and listened to the story.

"Right sorry" he coughed and took a puff of his joint. "But then all of a sudden a bear came walking out of the woods. It was big and brown and hairy but the strangest thing about it was..."

Koga and Sesshomaru leaned in closer with full awaiting attention.

"Instead of roaring it went... Aroooyipppp! Arroooyippp!" Kevin mimicked in a raspy off key tone.

Koga and Sesshomaru's eyes widened and they turned to eachother unable to keep it in -they bursted right out laughing.

"And what's just so funny? That damn bear could have mauled me" Kevin gave them a strange look yet hurt at their insensitiveness.

"Kevin! You dumbshit haha!" Koga laughed in tears as he rolled from side to side.

"That was no bear you saw!" Sesshomaru laughed trying to calm down.

Kevin blinked. "Ok then tell me just what the hell it was then?"

"A COYOTE!" they shouted out in unison wiggling around laughing their asses off. Kevin soon began to grin embarassed at himself.

"Well good thing I had my paintball gun...busted that damn bear impersonating coyote's ass off" he giggled making the other two laugh harder.

An hour and a couple of more smokes later they started their journey once more down the tracks walking along farm land properties. The sun would be setting any time soon.

"So uh...highschool next year" Koga hesitantly replied to Sesshomaru who was staring off into space.

"Yep..." he replied with a slight frown.

"What do you think it's going to be like?" he asked curiously.

Sesshomaru stopped and his eyes grew aggressive.

"Hmm..I don't know? Exactly what it's like in every teen movie!" he suddenly lunged out. Koga flinched.

" First you're getting yourself into something that you don't want to commit to but you can't 'cause you're fucking forced. Second a bunch of rules ten out of ten are going to be the most ridicious that " Oh my lord " are gonna offend the fucking teachers. Third tests. Alot of fucking tests, projects, and homework that you must finish to ever achieve to have a successful future but all the while your still trying to maintain to have a normal life without any worries but then there's those damn certain cliques screwing with your life that they can't wait to laugh at your funeral and decide to bother you while your still living! Shit after shit that's what it's going to be like!" Sesshomaru panted heavily and roughly wiped his now sweating brow.

Koga frowned at his best friend's sarcastic and extremely harsh speech about their near coming future. He opened his mouth to say something.

"Why do you think I dropped out in the first place..." Kevin said solemnly. He was a few paces ahead of them already.

Koga immediatly shut his mouth as he and Sesshomaru turned to Kevin who continued walking. They both exchanged glances until Sesshomaru scoffed and walked forward. Koga raised his eyebrow a bit pissed but let it slide. He bowed his head sighing and followed after from behind.

"Hey...where are we?" Kevin asked stopping. He looked around the unfamilar route. It was a little darker now the sky taking on the hues of blue, purple, pink, and orange. The ground under the tracks were a bit more mudder and they were standing up against a large hillside.

"We've must have gone farther than we thought" Koga replied staring around while stealing glances at Sesshomaru every few chances.

"Whoa check out the grave yard!" Kevin pointed his joint in the direction of a hill with tombstones.

"Come on let's go" Sesshomaru said.

"Go where?" Koga feared he was correct.

"Where else the grave yard" With enough said Sesshomaru trudged up the steep hill.

"Alright!" Kevin grinned running after followed by an unsure Koga.

"Guy's I don't think we should be in here..." Koga shakily said being the last to enter.

"Don't tell me you're scared" Sesshomaru replied.

Koga frowned but then furiously shook his head crossing his arms. "No! I ain't scared...it's...it's just too quiet...that's all. And I think this is somebody's property."

Sesshomaru gave him a disbelieving look while sticking his third cigeratte back into his mouth.

"There's a house right over there!" Koga growled annoyed and pointed right. Indeed across the cemetary down a wide patch of lawn stood a spruce white house clearly not abadoned.

Sesshomaru turned back to Koga and exhaled smoke before taking the cigeratte out of his mouth again.

"So...nobody's even home. Look the light's are all out."

"Hey Koga..." Kevin called.

"Yea?" he dully sighed.

"RAHHHHHHHH!"

"AHHHHHH!" Koga screamed falling straight on his butt into a puddle of mud. His eyes widened at the hideous face of a statue. It's eyes were emotionless and the lips were shaped in that of an oval which reminded him in a creepy way of that i _Scream /i _ painting.

Sesshomaru and Kevin cracked up with laughter.

"You about shit your pants!" Sesshomaru cackled almost choking on his cigeratte.

Koga blinked and shot a furious glare at Kevin.

"You fucking..asshole..." he growled while swinging his hands to dry the wet mud off of them.

"Oh man...haha! Sorry Koga hehehe... I--haha! I couldn't resist! It was too priceless!" Kevin grinned tightly all teary eyed. He kept a roughly sturdy hold on the archangel above the large grey tombstone he stood upon.

"Well get down before somebody fucking sees!" Koga shouted getting up. He frowned looking down at his still very dirty hands. He heard a noise and turned to Sesshomaru who started laughing up a storm again at the brown stain on his pants.

"I was right you did shit your pants!"

Koga raised his eyebrow and groaned agitated. "Har..har.. can we go now?" he placed his hands on his hips.

"I knew it you are scared" he smirked.

"No...I just don't want some redneck to gun us down for trespassing on his property."

"Koga...I told you N-O-O-N-E is home" Sesshomaru exsperated.

"Ohhh shit! Guys!"

Sesshomaru and Koga turned around and immediately sucked on air.

"Oh...FUC---K!"

Sesshomaru stumbled backward almost tripping over a couple small tombstones and Koga leaped back sideways knocking into another tombstone just in time to escape before the complete archangel including Kevin toppled downward where the two were recently standing. It ended with an awful crashing sound.

"Kev! You okay?" Koga gasped as his friend moaned lying still.

"Yea..." he ached beginning to move.

"Amazing you can still get up. Can't say the same for that statue" Sesshomaru nonchantly said staring at the cracked damages and decapitated ruptured head plus the broken wings.

"Oh crap you guys this isn't good!" Koga panically exclaimed biting his nails and pacing back and forth.

"I'll say...my forehead's got a fucking cut and it's bleeding!" Kevin whined tapping at it. He sat indian style upon the side of the statue with the least damages engraved to it.

"Not that you idiot! The damn statue! Oh..we're in for it now! The people that own this place are gonna find us and track us down!" Koga exclaimed all in one long breath.

Sesshomaru raised his eyebrow at Koga but then turned to Kevin who still was tinkering with his open cut.

"Here lemme see it..."

Kevin stopped and turned his head. Sesshomaru tilted his chin up. "You'll be fine just clean it and put a bandaid on it when yea get home."

Koga's jaw dropped but brought it back up again. "Did you two not hear me?"

Sesshomaru angerly rolled his eyes. "Look Koga if these people were actually home they can't do anything 'cause we don't no them!"

"Yea man chil-" Kevin immediatly stopped once he heard a door slam and shuffled footprints.

Koga gasped turning around to see the white house was now fully lit. He turned back around with an angry red face aimed at Sesshomaru.

"WHO'S OUT THERE? COME OUT! I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE!" the man cocked his elephant rifle.

All three ducked down huddled hoping the tombstones were enough to cover their backs for now.

"There's nobody home Koga. The light's are all off Koga. Listen to me Koga 'cause I'm the smart guy. Dumbass!" Koga mocked in a hushed whisper clutching to his knees.

"Kevin shutup" Sesshomaru whispered.

Kevin shook his head in giddy excitement. He grinned nodding and covered his mouth from laughing outloud. Sesshomaru then turned his attention back towards Koga who was giving him the evil eye.

"Alright..geez...sorry how was I suppose to know" he shrugged.

" 'Cause your the fuckin' genius now act like one and get us out of here!"

Koga gasped with a yelp ducking lower hearing gunfire.

"YOU'RE OUT HERE SOMEWHERE...I HEARD A NOISE! YOU DAMN KIDS IN MY CEMETARY AGAIN?" the man cocked his rifle once more and began swishing back and forth before heading down towards the cemetary.

"Shit! He's coming right for us!" Koga whispered while daring to peek from behind a tombstone.

"Okay...on the count of three we run."

"Run? The man's got a gun for cripesakes!" Koga retorted his legs beggining to shake.

"Look do you want to outrun him or do you want him to be here while he has the gun in close range of us!" Sesshomaru argued back.

"He's got a point there" Kevin intervined grinning and covered up another giggle.

Koga sighed in defeat. "Alright then."

"Okay...one...two..."

They kneeled on the ground like track runners shivering in anticipation for the whistle to cry out the starting of the race.

"THREE!"

The three sprung up muscles unlocking and wasting no time in sprinting straight down where they entered.

"YOU DAMN KIDS!" the man shouted now in sight of the three boys running out of his cemetary and down hill. He fired his gun but it missed.

By this time as he cocked his rifle a third time the boys had made it to the tracks but risked not in passing by the man and instead ran across the tracks into a thick grove of trees.

The man aimed his rifle toward the forest but frown not in aim sight of them anymore. He drew his gun down and kicked the dirt. He walked over into the cemetary hoping nothing too bad was done to it. He cussed loudly in anger at what he saw. Two miniture tombstones were slumped backward (the two Sesshomaru stumbled over), one tombstone was fine but the small cross ornament that was on top of it was now lying on the ground broken in half (the one Koga knocked himself into), but the biggest upset was the old archangel that was massacured along the ground (ehh...need I say?). He came out of the cemetary in a gruff kicking his feet angerly along his way back to the house. He wiped his shoes on the welcome mat and opened the door.

Koga winced once he saw the man violently slam the door shut. The three had been spying behind a row of blueberry bush hedges in the midst of the trees. The three turned back around and blew huge sighs of relief. They suddenly looked at one another and started laughing at how close they were to being shot by some redneck.

"Come on lets go home it's getting late" Sesshomaru said calming down the last of his giggles.

"Alright" Koga said chewing on a blueberry while picking some more following Sesshomaru slowly out the forest and carefully down the tracks as not to be seen.

"Yea...I need a damn bandaid" Kevin groaned holding a large leaf he found on the ground and pressing it over his wound for the blood to suppress.

Koga relaxed once they were farther down the tracks away from the man and his cemetary.

He popped a blueberry into his mouth and said, "Well at least he didn't know us or else my mom would be having a fit."

"Yea..." Sesshomaru and Kevin answered in a tired unison.

"Daddy what happened? I saw the whole thing from the window. Why were you shooting at those boys?"

The man placed his rifle aside and stared down at his daughter. "Damn kids again honey they thought it'd be funny to vandalise are cemetary and now we got broken tombstone statues" he grumbled sitting down at the dinner table. A low groan came from below and the man look down to see a rotweiler laying her head upon his knee.

"Hey ol' Rascal" he softly smiled scratching her behind the ear. She responded in wagging her tail wistfully.

"Again? I swear we need to put gates up and a lock that's the seventh time of an attack on our cemetary by some no good hoodlums" a woman walked in carrying a steaming cherry pie. She placed it down upon the table and took off her floral patterned oven mitts.

"I'll ensure to put up a gate later but dear for now I just wish I could have gotten hold of one of those boys and bring 'em to justice I'm getting sick of it" he rested himself in his chair picking up a fork and knife as she cut pieces of the pie and placed a piece on his plate.

"Oh well maybe tommorrow" she smiled joking.

"Funny" he rolled his eyes half smiling at his wife and was about to cut his knife and fork into the pie until his daughter spoke up.

"Daddy."

"Yes dear?" he smiled while cutting a piece at the sametime.

"Danny! Come down and eat! Pie's ready!" the mother yelled from the stairs to their eldest.

"I know those boys."

He immediately stopped and looked her way dropping his fork and knife down. He leaned in closer.

"You do?"

"Only two, they're in my grade. The other guy I don't know" she honestly answered.

"You know their phone numbers?" he got up ready to start whipping some juvenile ass.

She smiled. "In the school directory."

It was around 8:00 once Sesshomaru and Koga made it back to their street. They walked Kevin home and stayed with him for a short time before leaving. Koga's plastic bag with his cd in it twirled around his arm (he left it at Kevin's house) as they walked in silence to Sesshomaru's house. Sesshomaru's brash rant on highschool kept circulating in Koga's mind.

' i _ Shit after shit that's what it's going to be like/i _'

Koga frowned glumly placing his hands into his pockets. He murmured, "We made a pact."

"Huh?" Sesshomaru turned around and stopped.

"We made a pact, you know to be friends no matter what" he arched his eyebrow at Sesshomaru giving him a stern expression.

Sesshomaru sniffed now seeing what Koga was getting at. "Look Koga it doesn't matter what some stupid pact we made it's obvious your going to join the track team and get all the fame and glory while some punk's pinning me up against a locker...That's just what highschool is. It's splits you up!" he gruffly replied and continued walking to his house.

Koga stood where he was at since he lived down the intersection of the street. He frowned at Sesshomaru and appeared to be staring through his soul.

"Bad day at the doctor's?" he asked knowing that's just what had to be it for him to be acting in such an ornory manner.

Sesshomaru stopped and turned his head sideways. "Yea...I ain't going back dude's a quack...see yea later..." he placed his hand on the front gate about to open it.

"If I had a pyscho for a friend..."

Sesshomaru turned to Koga with a questioning stare.

"I'm glad it's you" he smiled and turned around down his street.

Sesshomaru stood there for a few brief seconds before pushing the gate open and entered the front yard up to the porch. Before opening the door he looked down at his dirt and mud caked converses and decided to leave them on the porch.

He stared at the door and sighed opening it.

"I'm home..."


	3. Crime Part 2

Chapter 3 I'm working on Chapter 4 so hold on for that one. 

"I just got a call from Dr. Creed..." Inutashio growled directly at Sesshomaru.

Izayoi frowned biting her lip feeling tension in the room as she set down her plate of spagetti on the dinner table and quietly sat down.

"He said you ran off during the middle of your session" Inutashio growled louder.

Sesshomaru stared downward eatting and not giving a damn to what his father was saying.

"Sesshomaru Tashio I am speaking to you! And I demand you listen" Inutashio roared slamming his fist onto the mahogany table causing the plates and glasses to shake.

Izayoi frowned beside her husband wishing she could say something..anything but she was always the middle one when it came between these two head butting one another.

Sesshomaru's fork fell to his plate with a loud clank and he craned his neck up brushing a few shaggy bangs away from his eyes. Giving him a rather sophisticated look.

"Okay...I'm listening."

"Why? All I want to know is why? Why would you do this? He is the best pyschatrist in this whole town! Hell they all were!"

"Inutashio" Izayoi frowned up at her husband.

"Izayoi not now..."

That was enough for her to shut up and just watch helplessly as Inutashio shouted.

"And you just had to slip up and make this one fire you too! Do you realize how much money I'm paying-no wasting on you!"

Sesshomaru cut his amber eyes straight into his father's solid gold ones. He sucked in his now dry throat.

"First of all father I fired him. Dr. Creed is the most irreverant dumbass I have ever come across to date!"

"Watch your tongue boy" Inutashio hissed on his last nerve.

"And why the b **fuck /b **should I-"

Sesshomaru's neck swerved with a sickening crack to the left immediately on impact of Inutashio's fist.

"Inutashio!" Izayoi gasped her skin on pins and needles. Inutashio stood over Sesshomaru in a sweat and panting with a look of sheer anger.

Sesshomaru blinked in a somewhat "I'm not dead" look and put his hand under his mouth as he coughed into it. A splatter of blood was puddled in his palm. He chuckled and turned his eyes back to his father's with that same delirous grin as a trickle of blood streamed its way down his lip and dripped off his chin.

"I knew you would do it someday..." he croaked.

Inutashio just panted and stared straight into Sesshomaru's blank eyes. Immediate feelings of regret and shame dwindled inside him though he cloaked it with a tough composture.

"What's going on?"

Everyone's attention was now on an eight year old, Inuyasha, who had just come from upstairs carrying his finished dinner plate. He frowned warily craning his neck over. His mouth opened wide gasping at the sight of Sesshomaru's swollen cheek and bleeding mouth.

"It-It's nothing Inuyasha here let's go in the kitchen and clean your plate" Izayoi feigned cheerfulness and stood up infront of Inuyasha's view pushing him along towards the kitchen.

With a grin he looked up at his mother. "What did the nutcase not take his medication?"

"You little son of a bitch!" Sesshomaru bolted up from his chair about to pounce on the half-breed, claws erect and fangs extended. He was silenced again once a strong hand shoved him hard back into the chair. It rattled loudly upon the red wood flooring.

Izayoi blinked her now watering eyes and looked away. She took her hands off Inuyasha's ears.

"Mom what's wrong?" he sincerely asked.

"Nothing come on in the kitchen" she sniffed blinking her cerulean eyes a couple more times and walked out of the dining room.

Once they were gone Inutashio turned to see Sesshomaru icily glaring at him his lips pressed firmly together. Under his right eye had began to bruise purple in color and swell.

"Don't you dare talk about her like that you hear me!" he 'softly' shouted pointing in the direction of the kitchen.

Sesshomaru didn't answer him and continued that mocking glare unlocked as he slowly stood to his feet.

"Where are you going? We're not done here!" Inutashio followed Sesshomaru who just marched straight into his bedroom.

"Sesshomaru stop right now!"

To Inutashio's surprise Sesshomaru did stop once he reached into his room and turned around.

"Leave me alone..." he hissed in a whisper and slammed the door shut.

"Open this door! Sesshomaru!" he loudly jiggled at the knob. He was about ready to tear the whole door down until someone grabbed his arm. He turned back to see Izayoi with desperate pleading eyes.

"Inutashio please don't. I can't stand to see you two fight like this. Please for me..." she began to stroke his arm. Inutashio heavily sighed and nodded.

"I just don't know what's gotten into him anymore."

"I think he just needs some-"

"Help is what he needs. Tomorrow I'm going to see if I can reschedule him with Dr.Creed. If he is willing to give Sesshomaru a second try" he spoke doubtfully.

Izayoi was now the one to heavily sigh and left the comfort of her husband's arm to finish the rest of her dinner back in the dining room.

With a frown he watched her back disappear into the dining room. He leaned his shoulder against the wall in his method of thinking until a noise erupted his thoughts.

"Telephone!" Izayoi called out.

"I got it" Inutashio grabbed the phone off the reciever and leaned against the wall putting the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

Sesshomaru tiredly leaned up against his postered up door and stayed there until he heard footsteps leave downstairs. Finally away from him.

He bent over one arm gripping his stomach and his right hand rubbing his sore pulsing cheek.

"Fucking...bastard.." he whispered letting his hand fall beside his hip. Some of his bangs freely fell amongst his eyes.

After a second or so he slouched himself up to face his sanctuary and a calm feeling of inner peace rushed its way inside his battered tired body. His bedroom was the only other place he felt safe in life. All the walls were covered with poster after poster and newspaper clipping after newspaper articles on every rockstar you could name. There was only one small window on the wall toward the right under it was a row of shelves that contained millions of records. On the left side was the closest and more shelves where more records were contained and his collection of fought after cd's. On the tall book shelf in the corner of the room sat model airplanes, cars, photographs, concert tickets, books and comic books, and other cherished boy trinkets of sorts.

His eyes stared at the coaxing comfortable bed. Roughly wiping the blood off his mouth and chin with the back of his hand Sesshomaru straightened up and staggered towards it. He rolled onto his stomach ontop the cool sheets and buried his head into the pillow. Raising his left arm to his nightstand he turned on his record player and returned his arm back to his side. The Beatles began playing.

At the harmonic singing voices and instrument strumming Sesshomaru closed his eyes and felt himself drifting off.

A painted blue rowboat was where I found myself, laying in the soft extreme comfort of violet satin pillows. I sat up in a daze and looked out to my surprise on the banks grew cellophane flowers of yellow and green and rocking horse people sitting on red and white checkered pinic blankets eatting marshmallow pies under the shade of tangerine trees.

_"Hello Sesshomaru!"_ one rocking horse man waved to me along with his large family.

A small grin perked at his lips revealing matured fangs and waved back as the current slowly traveled down the river.

_"Don't be shy lad, here have a marshmallow pie!" _

Thrown as it were the piece of dessert actually floated twirling itself in the air and into his arms. He took a curious first bite and found it scrumchiously delicious. Content and full he lyed back down into the silky pillows as the rowboat carried him down stream.

_' So Serene...' _ I gazed up at the marmalade sky while placing my hand over the rowboat's edge letting my hand trail down with the river as an old song came to mind.

"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream ..." his grin perked wider. "Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a-"

"He did **WHAT! SESSHOMARU!" **

Sesshomaru's eyes popped wide open at that exact second.

"Oh...shit..."

His tense fingers tightly grasped the bed sheets while the record player scratched repeatedly.


	4. Punishment

The heat was hot with the afternoon sun blazing down the graduting eighth graders in their formal attire behind the middle school gym. A breeze came gusting in from the mountains which comforted Sesshomaru since he was wearing a heavy brown suit and brown slacks with a cream colored buttoned up shirt and olive green tie. 

Koga in a blue suede three piece suit soaking in the glory and beaming proudness of his parents and three older brothers.

"Koga just 'cause you're getting older now don't make you the shit..." he read off one of the cards his brother, Victor, made for him that came with 20 dollars.

"Oh is that so..." Koga chuckled his eyes glimmering up at a laughing Victor who cooly nodded. Koga grinned but suddenly felt someone's eyes on him so turned to see amongst the bustling crowd Sesshomaru standing there with his brown suit hanging over his shoulder and his buttoned up shirt sleeves rolled up. He seemed to be smirking but this Koga could not tell.

"I'll see you later back in the gym. Thanks!" Koga handed his brother back the card and ran over to Sesshomaru.

Koga stopped and stared him square in the eye. Sesshomaru stared just as intensely but felt a need to break the silence between them.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Both sat down upon an abandoned pinic table shaded by some longleaf pine trees their branches hovering above them. Sesshomaru sitting on the bench and Koga sat upon the table top his legs resting over the bench.

"So when are you being sent?" Koga asked uneasily.

"The start of June" Sesshomaru replied mechanically.

Koga frowned, "But that's just next week!"

"I know" Sesshomaru grimly answered the obvious. He bent over picking off the spurs that were caught on his pant legs. Even though he remained cool and calm through this Koga could tell he was extremely bummed.

Koga's frown deepened as he thought back to last week's event.

Everyone except for the judge and jury could barely sit, they were all nervous wrecks. Inutashio could barely face his son while Izayoi was worried sick beyond belief to what might become of her step-child. Koga with his whole hand in his mouth bit hard down on his nails, after his parents had gotten word of there little venture he was being yelled at non-stop and the thought of prison or a juvinele detention center scared the shit outa him, and Kevin's mom was aggravated feeling this was a complete waste of her time.

Sesshomaru bowed his head as he sat silent trying not to think about what was going on. His eyes scanned the lines in the wood beginning to see them morph and wave like squiggles, swirling around and around like the red and white barber shop poles.

"Your honor these three juvinele hoodlums deliberately trespassed onto my property walked into my cemetery and vandalized it. I have photos of the damage they've caused to the expensive tombstones" the farmer who had pointed the shot gun at the three handed the baliff the pictures who then passed it to Judge Morgan.

"**AND**...I think they were also under the influence of drugs."

"Oh my lord..." Koga's mom shaded her eyes away fully embarassed.

Kevin's mom just rolled her eyes already knowing this was going to go downhill and Kevin just bit down on his bottom teeth rolling his eyes away with his leg jittering.

This snapped Sesshomaru back to his senses and he sat up forward staring at the ziploc bag that contained one cigeratte. _His cigeratte. _

"And if I can cut in Judge I do have a liscence that if I catch any strangers interloping on my property for no good reasons I can and will shoot for the protection of myself and family."

_' Give me a fucking break...'_

Judge Morgan nodded and flashed her stern eyes to the young man sitting in the stand beside her.

"Well Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru swirved his head to the left meeting her almost black eyes.

"Do you have anything to plead on your behalf?"

Sesshomaru sat there, hands gripped to his knees, feeling for the first time claustrophobic with all those many different eyes set on him, waiting on him, hanging on for what words had to be said and questions carefully answered. Then his eyes met the green and blue ones of his two best friends, their faces pathetic and miserable, hanging low in their seats; their eyes were the worst part of all to look at. All puffy and shiny, they were just about ready to cry a river. It disgusted him.

Sesshomaru bowed his head down sighing heavily, intent on what he knew what he was about to do and try not to regret it.

He glanced back up at her impatient stare and unpleasent creased lips.

"Yes, there's something I must confess."

Too late he already regretted it.

"You see Koga and Kevin had nothing to do with this whole thing."

Koga and Kevin's facial expressions drastically changed at what their friend was saying, they perked themselves higher.

"I decided to go in alone and trash the cememtery because I was pissed and they waited for me outside on the tracks. They saw the farmer coming outside so ran into the cememtery to get me but he heard us and went after us so we ran. It was all me your honor, I was the one who ignored the no trespassing sign and went on this man's property, I was the one who vandalized his cemetery, and I was the one smoking the ciggeratte. They, they had absolutely nothing to do with this they were only innocent bystanders in my teenage tantrum."

"If they weren't involved in this and you are telling the truth?" Judge Morgan looked down at Sesshomaru unsure whether to believe him or not.

"Yes your honor" he answered with utmost grace.

"Then why? What was your motive for all this pent up anger to explode and take it out on someone else?"

Sesshomaru paused for a second softly tapping his fingers over his knees, and looked up into the eyes of his father fully staring never leaving nor blinking and that was the same with his own. His eyebrows soon furrowed together and he replied still not going to give into his father's glare, "Something about not taking my medication."

The gaval's bang announced the court dismissed. Koga and Kevin were free to go, but for Sesshomaru he had a choice, go back to juvy and stay another full long five months there or serve his punishment by staying with Mr. Kasama (the farmer) and his family on their farm in doing community service and working off the damages.

Sesshomaru didn't need to think about this one and immediately agreed into community service for Mr. Kasama. If only he knew just exactly what he was in for.

"I just want to know something" Koga spoke up after he woke from his reminiscing.

"Yea?" Sesshomaru picked the last spur off his pant leg and sat up.

"Why did you do that?"

Sesshomaru frowned and glanced away. "Do what?"

Koga sighed, "Come on Sesshomaru you know what, don't bullshit this anymore than you've already have."

"Who said I was bullshitting?" he inveighed staring straight into Koga's eyes which suddenly made him blink and look up at the crisscrossing tree branches how the sunlight shined down upon them.

_"If I had a pyscho for a friend...I'm glad it's you."_

It hadn't really crossed his mind at all to why he did it.

"I don't know. Maybe it was just something you said."

"Something I said?" Koga replied bewildered.

"Yes, something you said and I felt obligated to surrender myself to the authorities because I know how much this meant to you and I didn't want to ruin your summer and Kevin's by staying in juvy on account of me being an asshole so can we just leave it at that?" he irritable answered staring now at Koga.

Koga looked down almost feeling sorry but also felt Sesshomaru was right it really was all his doing anyhow. But that still didn't mean it upsetted him that Sesshomaru was going to have to waste his whole summer without help doing God knows what on some hick's farm but he didn't want his feelings to bother the moment so remained silent and took out an envelope.

"What's this?" Sesshomaru asked taking the handed envelope.

"Graduation present" Koga grinned.

Sesshomaru slipped the unlicked top off and half smiled with a chuckle once opening the bulged card signed by Koga and Kevin. A dime of weed was taped to the inside. He slid the card and envelope far into the pocket of his pants so it was hidden.

"Thanks."

Koga nodded.

"I have yours too" Sesshomaru took something out from his other pocket.

Unwrapped and to the point just like Sesshomaru he handed Koga a 14 karat gold watch with gold numbers and hands fixed on a royal blue background. Koga's eyes lit up like Christmas lights to say he was very surprised the least.

"This must have cost you like a gajillion dollars!" he felt unworthy of such a fine item.

"Na, my grandfather gave it to me but I never really wore it at all so I'd thought you might want it. But if you don't like it I can always-"

"Fuck no! It's just what I need to work on my timing in track plus it makes me look rich" Koga suavely grinned clicking the watch solidly on his right arm.

"I'd thought so" Sesshomaru rested his eyes lying himself ontop the bench.

"Koga! Come on we have to-" Mrs. Wolfe stopped in her tracks seeing Sesshomaru sit up from the bench.

"Koga we have to go back into the gym for the last of the ceremony" her voice had changed from happy to monotone and she seemed to scowl at Sesshomaru when she added, "And you too."

"Alright mom" Koga stood up stretching before they followed behind Mrs. Wolfe.

"Mom look at what Sesshomaru gave me" he tried to give his best smile showing off the antique watch.

She only nodded not even looking at the gift. "That's nice dear."

Koga frowned placing his arm down and turned to whisper into Sesshomaru's ear.

"Don't worry she'll forgive you and forget about this whole thing."

"Here's hoping.." Sesshomaru doubtly answered as they stepped inside the air conditioned gym.

_'Get on with it...or not who really wants to make this boring speech go faster so that I could start my sentence sooner?' _ I pondered slouched with my legs stretched out under the chair infront of me.

_My eyes wandered throughout the crowd of heads infront of me; my disparting eighth grade class, the microphone was buzzing in and out of focus which was some sort of amusement seeing the principal get all stage frighty over it, the gym was decorated with streamers, balloons, confetti,and a huge banner that read "**Good-Bye Eighth Graders May All Your Future's be Bright!"**, all in our school colors blue and yellow. _

_Just thinking about my communitiy service for that gun toting hick Kasama made me think about my future not being the bright colors of blue and yellow but grey and dim. And speaking of Kasama..._

"What the fuck's he doing here?" I whispered to myself seeing that wild ebony hair of his combed back and smooth.

_Just seeing the back of his head made me want to burn a hole through it. He was seated three rows ahead of me beside him was a woman with curly and I mean CURLY red hair and a taller boy with dark hair sitting beside her. But I didn't pay any attention to them just Kasama who turned. At first I thought he was going to turn around and scowl at me now but no he turned and looked down at a girl with ebony hair like him and wildly curly like her mother's. I knew that girl, of course I did we've known eachother for this whole time without even talking. Her name Rin and her last name...Kasama!_

_How funny and strange the world works just to poke more fun at you. _

_I watched like I was watching a film strip, she turned into the eyes of her bastard of a father and they both smiled so cutesy and Daddy's Little Girl like-**It made me want to hurl!**_

_But then I suddenly got the ending of this whole fucked up script, I'm going to be living with these people. Until now I never even thought about that just the whole working off my sentence crap but no they want me to suffer more by staying in the same house and occupying the same oxygen I breathe with these people! _

Sesshomaru felt a stab at his gut and grasped his hand to cover his tightly shut mouth. Around him the air seemed to thicken and cloud his senses with an unearthly stench he could only smell.

_Now I'm really going to throw up..._


	5. Saint Joe and Aunt Mary

**Sorry for long wait! ' **

**I've just been busy with school and friends! Hope you enjoy the chapter! Please Review!** )

Sesshomaru was permantly grounded during his days before he had to go join ' Little House on the Prarie.' He couldn't go out, watch television, listen to music, or talk on the phone. Koga and Kevin were also grounded but only for a short amount of time so seeing them was out of the question. The only things he did was pack and think. And when he felt he was thinking too much he started to read. He didn't speak a word to anyone.

Sesshomaru's eyes were half lidded staring out at the world passing him by while he sat, latched in a cage with wheels, and his father; his jail keeper.

Inutashio kept his eyes steady to the road while driving his white Chevy Ford truck. His lip was creased shut for awhile now and Sesshomaru planned to keep it that way.

"Sesshomaru I think we need to talk" he frowned carefully making a left.

Sesshomaru's eyes sparked annoyed and immediately turned on the radio.

_That's what he gets for disturbing my peace. _

Inutashio put his hand back on the wheel, thinking twice before turning the radio off. Not now was the time for his son to snap. Atleast it wasn't hard rock.

_**Saint Joe they said he's never **_

_**Been dressed up like a woman **_

_**Saint Joe they said your dad is gay ...**_

"How long have you been smoking?" Inutashio concernly teared his eyes from the road infront of him.

"This is my first..." Sesshomaru stoically lied.

_**They said your mom **_

_**She's a whore... **_

"I don't believe you."

_**They said your mom **_

_**She's a bore **_

"Fine don't..." Sesshomaru opened his window letting his arm hang out alittle while the wind swept back strands of wild silver.

_**They made her beg them**_

_**For more...**_

Inutashio grunted within a sigh tapping his nails against the wheel steadly. Calmly. And then he slammed on the acclerator and made a hard swerve sort of like a giant U turn. Sesshomaru braced himself getting knocked to the side. He clenched down on his bottom teeth. Red dust clouded the air as the car stood still not on the road anymore but on a dirt trail.

"THE HELL YOU DOING!?" Sesshomaru yelled angerly. His eyes fierce gripping both sides of his seat and his back arched up like a ferment cat that was just splashed with water. His chest heaved up and down with every breath.

Inutashio fluttered his eyes and shifted uncomfortably as he stared down at his hands and the wheel. He slowly let his grip loose and let go. He closed his eyes bowing down murmuring something.

Sesshomaru frowned with his eyebrow raised.

_At that moment I think he said he was sorry but I'm still not at all for sure. _

Inutashio looked up again with a sympathetic smile to his son and replied,

"We're here."

Sesshomaru's eyebrows raised further and he swished around to see they were in fact parked right out in the front of the house. There was a click and Sesshomaru turned back around to see his dad had slammed the side door shut taking the car keys with him. Sesshomaru paused for just a second staring downward and then unbuckled himself getting out of the truck.

Sesshomaru's duffel bag hung from his shoulder trudging behind Inutashio who held his other two suitcases up the short hill to the porch.

_From this angle the white house was medium sized. You wouldn't be able to tell that there was a porch if not for the rocking chair sitting out but the rest of the it was crowded with dozens of poted plants on the deck and seated ontop of the porch railing. The smells of the Gaillardia, Blazing Stars, Jasmine, and Dogwood intoxicated strongly through my nostrils that I had to restrain myself of this tingling feeling chilling down my spine not sure what would happen if I were to let it break free. Vines hung low from above and down below and also around the sides of the house and all over the porch railing their tendrils spiraling the wooden bars. Insects annoyingly buzzed about and crawled whereever you looked. _

Inutashio placed the two suitcases down and rung the doorbell. Sesshomaru looked up immediately at the silver chimes swaying the breeze with its melody.

"Sesshomaru..."

_Here we go again... _

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes with a slouch.

"Yes?" he curtly answered.

"You'll...You'll be okay here."

_What? _

_I immediately frowned and the for the first time in a while felt a sense of lossness like none no other. One unexplained. Like a stolen child I couldn't move, couldn't save myself from that door swinging open about to send me away. It was dead and kept dead but now it was alive and rose. Rose up into my chest, into the veins of my beating heart and I couldn't do anything. Nothing, I was completely drained of everything else. _

"Hello..." a tall figure answered the door dressed in dark clothing. His skin a paler shade of white with a baby face of light mocha freckles and hair; pitch black that hung thinly layered ending at his broad shoulders.

His eyes were strange. They were dimond shaped and colored powdery blue with gray swirled in and specks of green spread throughout the iris. The eyeliner, I don't know, meant to give him a dark persona I assume was drawn under his eyes, color black as well.

_I hated his eyes. I hated him. I didn't even know him and I already hated his existence. _

His sleek eyebrows raised up and after a short look over of us his lips parted and he made a sound like, "Oh". Then his eyes, those black ringed eyes scrutinizingly cut to me.

"It's you."

An asthmatic breath inhaled its way into Sesshomaru's throat. His pupils flashed and went from quick periods of shrunken to dilated motions. His throat went cold and he began to hypervenalite.

"Sesshomaru? Sesshomaru!?" Inutashio strongly grabbed onto his son's trembling shoulder.

_It felt like my__throat closed up. I closed up. I was shaking all over but I couldn't help it I had to do something. Anything! Don't you see it!? It's there! In HIS EYES! It's him! He's going to take me away! He's going to take me away! He's going to TAKE ME AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! _

Sesshomaru looked back at the door his vision blurred and clouded with spots of sunshine blaring into his burnt out pupils. The boy stood there his jaw dropped partially in shock at what was happening.

"Sesshomaru!" Inutashio started to shake him.

_My teeth by this time was chattering now along with my hyperventaliting and that jerk Kasama made his way into the bleak picture of my eyes and then the darkness swallowed me up. _

_**Aunt Mary says**_

_**They have the darkness there**_

_**In their eyes...**_

Sesshomaru's face scrunched as he wriggled in his possession and slowly blinked a couple times.

_I have the worst headache and I didn't even drink anything and..._

"Where I'm I?"

Sesshomaru's vision cleared as he uprightly sat up. His eyes switched from the bed, to his bags infront of the bed, to the closest, to the dresser, and then to the half opened door.

He arched his neck over hearing voices coming from outside and was about to get up until the door opened all the way. It was a woman this time, and unusually tall woman at that. She was broad shouldered in a yellow sunday dress and apron carrying a glass of apple cider. She was looking down at the moment and then her eyes turned up to Sesshomaru and she stepped back the large red curls of hers bouncing almost spilling the drink.

_Mrs. Kasama..._

"Oh! You're awake! You nearly scared me" she smiled with an exhausted grin and took her hand off her beating chest.

Sesshomaru remained silent and watched her bustly move to his bedside.

"Here I poured this cider for you. I'll go tell your father you're up" she handed him the glass and got up out of the room.

At the word 'father', Sesshomaru immediately teared the blankets off of him and placed the cider on the nightstand. He lept out of bed and walked out of the bedroom. He looked around the hallway and saw a flash of light coming from the end of the hallway and stood near the stairs railing where the voices he heard before grew louder.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I don't know what came over him" Inutashio apoligized to Mr. Kasama.

They were both seated in the furnished living room.

Mrs. Kasama came in and handed her husband a cup of warm coffee'. He nodded to her in thanks. She smiled broadly at him and then frowned over to Mr.Tashio.

"Tashio, are you sure I can't get you anything?"

"Huh? Oh no thankyou I'm quite fine. Thankyou though."

She smiled and nodded leaving the room.

After taking a drink of his coffee' Mr.Kasama placed it down on the table between him and Inutashio and asked, "So what exactly is wrong with him?"

Inutashio sat straight up holding his hands together over his knees, nervously. His legs began to jitter and he wiped his forehead with his hand.

"Well...he's...he's..how should I put this?" he stopped and placed his thumb at his mouth. "He has a mental disorder."

"A mental disorder!?"

"Yes...in which he's bipolar and sometimes certain things can make him act out at a certain way."

"You mean like when he freaked out just because my son answered the door" Mr.Kasama raised his eyebrow.

"Well...yes. He can be a bit paranoid. "

"A bit!?"

"Mr.Kasama please I assure you Sesshomaru won't do anything to harm your family in any way. If only he's harming himself, which is what I'm worried about."

Kasama frowned,"So what I am supposed to do if he freaks out again?"

Inutashio frowned as well, "Like I said its only to certain things so the best is to just try to calm him down anyway you possibly can. This is his medication to help him stop but he's reluctant to take it so I prepose you crush it up within his meals."

"Alright" Mr. Kasama took the two capsules and placed them in his pants pocket.

"He's awake" Mrs. Kasama stepped into the living room.

"He's what?" Inutashio sprang up and passed Mrs. Kasama who turned and followed him along with her husband.

Inutashio stopped in his tracks as well and stared wide eyed at his son who stood there on the last step, so innocent looking.

_Dammit and I thought I had the chance to run away. _

"Oh Sesshomaru!"

Inutashio blinked, bit his lip to hold in his tears and grabbed a hold of his son. Sesshomaru didn't speak, he didn't hug back, he didn't smile or frown. He just stood there in their intimate father-son closeness and breathed in on silence. Inutashio finally let go but kept his hands on both of Sesshomaru's shoulders. He smiled with watery eyes removing some of his bangs and kissed Sesshomaru on the forehead. Again he didn't do anything to reply but stare into his father's eyes.

_Honestly I didn't know what to feel. I was angry but I just stood there and took it. I couldn't do anything. _

"Sesshomaru I know you hate me right now but please. Please be good for the Kasama's and do what they tell you to do, they'll treat you well son. Please."

Sesshomaru frowned watching Inutashio stand up and turn to the Kasama's.

"Thankyou for your hospitality, I'd better be going now."

"No problem" Mr. Kasama replied. "We'll take good care of him."

Mrs. Kasama cheerfully nodded. "You have nothing to worry about Tashio."

Inutashio softly smiled, "Thanks John, thanks Sherry."

Sesshomaru's eyes now faced downward as he rubbed his head. His headache began to pulsate.

"Before..." Sesshomaru's eyes widened in realization.

"That's what you said before..." he whispered to himself his eyes staring back down to the wooden planks of the glossy floor.

"What?"

Sesshomaru shot his head up to see his father looking at him worridly.

"Sesshomaru are you okay?"

"Yes! I-I just have a headache" he admitted rubbing where it hurt on his head.

"Oh if that's what's bothering you dear I'll give you some Advil" Sherry Kasama left into the kitchen.

"If you need to talk just call the house okay. I'll miss you" Inutashio pulled Sesshomaru into another hug and this time he reacted with an frown. Inutashio tightly squeezed him and let go and faced Sesshomaru's hard steel angry stare.

_You'll miss me...yea right..._

Inutashio pathetically smiled knowing he was getting rejected but gave his best to let Sesshomarue be angry with him even though it was breaking his heart.

"Goodbye, I love you" Inutashio got up and Sesshomaru followed him to the doorway to watch him leave. Sesshomaru stood there a good while hearing first the door shut, the sounds of the porch steps, and then finally a truck driving off.

_Silence. The silence always comes back to me._

"Here Sesshomaru."

He slowly turned around and Mrs. Kasama handed him a green tablet and a glass of water.

Kasama came in and Mrs. Kasama joined at his side.

"We hope you enjoy your stay here" she grinned.

Sesshomaru stared at her and then at Kasama who gave him a bit of a skeptical glare. He then looked at the advil, popped it in his mouth, and started guzzling water down.

_**Aunt Mary says they have the darkness there**_

_**They have the family disease**_

_**They have the darkness there in their minds...**_

"You will listen to me or Mrs. Kasama at all times. Do what your told to at all times. Eat meals with us when called in. Work on the farm or whatever chore I tell you to do."

Sesshomaru sighed with the roll of his eyes. "Can I go now you've been rambling on for an hour...I get it already!"

He grew restless with sitting in the old pink armchair listening to Kasama break down the rules with him.

Kasama stopped and raised his brow at the boy trying to not be outright angry.

"You've got quite a mouth don't chyea?"

"So I've been told" Sesshomaru snobly replied flicking a piece of dirt out of his nail. "Can I go now?"

"You better fix it by the end of this summer and NO groaning either."

Sesshomaru glared at him with a pouted lip since thats what he was about to do.

"You listen to your father so you listen to me."

_That's a good one. I almost wanted to laugh at that moment. _

"You can go now unpack your things."

"Finally!" Sesshomaru shot up and was about to walk out the living room.

"We wake up at 6."

Sesshomaru immediately stopped with his hands on the sides of the walls and one leg up.

"You're shitting me?" he swerved back around.

Kasama grinned but not in a funny sort of way, "No I'm not be up at that time and don't use that sort of language around me or Mrs. Kasama you got that?"

Sesshomaru scoffed shaking his head leaving. "Whatever...bastard..."

Once he was gone, Mr. Kasama shook his head laughing under his breath.

"With this kid's attitude tomorrow morning's going'to be fun!" he chuckled.

"Cowboy..." Sesshomaru said to no one in peticular. He sat on the edge of his bed with his duffel bag and suitcases opened staring off at the walls.

_Cowboy was the perfect word to describe this room, because covered on the walls was faded tannish yellow wallpaper with little cowboys bucking on broncos swinging a lasso and indian tepee's with green catcus'. Just great and I didn't have the idea that these people may have something like this or I would have prepared to bring one of my Nirvana posters. _

With a heavy sigh Sesshomaru bent down and picked up his cd player from his duffel bag. He started to place his clothes away into the dresser drawers and took out some cds and books and placed them on the nightstand and dresser top. Sesshomaru looked back into his duffel bag and to see what else he had in there and saw the only things left was the weed Koga and Kevin gave him, an old box of ciggerattes he found in his bedroom in one of his many hiding places, and his lighter. He zipped up the compartment they were in and decided to leave them in there and slid the duffel bag under the bed. He placed the two suitcases away in the closest where he hung some more clothes.

"Dinner!" Mrs.Kasama shouted that echoed throughout the house.

Sesshomaru stopped hanging up clothes and stood there in the closest holding a shirt in one hand.

_"Eat meals with us when called in."_

Sesshomaru sighed touching his stomach. "I am hungry."

He hung up the shirt and left the bedroom. He started walking down the dark hallway that was decorated with protraits and other knick knacks and was about to pass the stair railing. Until his chest closed up again and the same feeling came back. The boy that opened the door for them was there Sesshomaru peered over the stair railing watching him leave across the hall into the kitchen.

Sesshomaru twisted his foot around and leaned against the wall careful not to hit his head against the picture that hung there. He took some deep breaths and clawed his fingers into the wall trying to keep himself together.

_Why now?! Why here? _

Sesshomaru clasped his hand over his eyes and stood up from the wall. He breathed again lifting his hand from his eyes.

"What the?" he raised his eyebrow staring at a half open door and two deep brown eyes staring closely back at him.

He took a step towards the door. The eyes gasped and he got the door slammed shut on him.

Sesshomaru growled loudly and stormed back to his bedroom.

"Okay fuck this shit! Fuck dinner! And fuck THEM!"

Sesshomaru turned off the lights and climbed into bed. Falling asleep in a place like this was easier than he thought it would be.


	6. First Day

**Hey VinylMono here! Sorry for the longest delay but school and life in general kept me busy hope you enjoy and hopefully the next chapter won't take as long! Thankyou for reading and support )**

**5:59-6:00**

Sesshomaru stirred around in his postion at the sudden disturbance of an alarm. He halfed open his one eye that wasn't buried in the pillow and slammed his hand down on the clock. Satisfied he closed his eye and slid his arm back to bed.

A click illuminated the bedroom. He turned over on his side to the doorway.

"Come on get up you got alota work to do" Kasama replied.

Sesshomaru angerly frowned, his eyes hollow and tired. He rose some lying up against the wooden bed mantle. He started scratching the area behind his ear when something was thrown onto his lap.

Sesshomaru unfurled the fabric it was an old pair of overalls. He turned to Kasama with a raised eyebrow and a 'you've got to be kidding me' expression on his face.

"You can wear these when you're at the barn. Hurry up and get dressed, I'm expecting you to come to the table this time."

With that said Kasama left Sesshomaru to be alone. He sighed already fustrated and stared at the overalls lying in his lap.

Light stepping was heard coming downstairs. Mrs. Kasama stopped her cheerful humming and looked up from the table while holding a large pitcher of orange juice.

"Good morning Sesshomaru!"

He yawned, tiredly blinking and rubbing his right eye with the palm of his hand.

"I hope you're feeling better. I've got your breakfast cooking it will be ready in a couple minutes" she grinned placing the pitcher down on the clean tabletop and went back to the stove where the bacon was sizzling.

Sesshomaru slouched in the kitchen doorway for a second and then slowly strided to a chair.

_Alone with Mrs. Kasama was anything but comfortable. Her humming was bugging me, but I was too tired to care._

A mintue later Sesshomaru felt something nudge his shoulder and lifted his head up to see a breakfast ready for him on a pink ceramic plate.

He rose up, stretching, and grabbed a fork.

**Breakfast: A **

This lady can cook. Better than that shit back at home. I'm not surprised though, her being part time housewife and part time farmer's wife, she obviously must have alot of time on her hands.

I kept quiet and ate like a good boy while throughout it she rambled on how I shouldn't feel at all scared or alienated staying here, that I was to be considered a part of the family, and that they "loved" having me stay.

_Great! Just what I need in the morning! To be fed a gallon of BULLSHIT!!!! _

"Oh you're done. Did you like it?" Mrs. Kasama asked while taking the dirty plate.

I didn't say anything.

Mrs.Kasama gently placed the sink and utensils inside the sink and when Sesshomaru watched her turn around she was back to him with a glass of orange juice.

"Here you'll need this it will help you wake up more."

She smiled happily as he took the glass. Sesshomaru stared down at the light orangish fluid. He immediately frowned.

_Something's not right._

"Mrs. Kasama?" he managed out after a minute or two.

"Yes?" she grinned happy he was finally speaking.

"How come you gave me this orange juice over there at the counter and just didn't pour me some from the pitcher right here?" he pointed to the full pitcher standing in the middle of the table beside a ketchup bottle.

The cheeriness in her face disappeared and her smile slowly faded to an abrupt frown. The screen door creaked and both turned to Mr. Kasama entering inside.

"Hello beautiful. Is he done eatting yet?"

Mrs. Kasama's smile quickly came back as fast as it had gone.

"He will be. He just needs to finish _his_ orange juice."

Sesshomaru stared hard at Kasama and then shifted to Mrs. Kasama who had returned back to the sink turning the faucet on. He tightened his grasp on the cup placing it back on the table.

"I'm not thristy."

Mrs.Kasama turned her head while occupying her hands with scrubbing a plate. Her eyes quickly met Kasama's with the same look in them. She then looked at Sesshomaru.

"Oh but hon' you must drink something you haven't drank anything yet."

"I told you, I'm not thristy."

"Now how can you not be thristy at seven in the morning?" Mr. Kasama approached him with a stern look.

_He was right I was. But something just didn't feel right._

"Because you're human and I'm demon. We're different."

"Oh really?" John E. Kasama wasn't buying.

The chair made an obnoxious squeak as Sesshomaru rose up, "Really."

He pushed open the screen door.

"Dear if he says hes not thristy-" Mrs. Kasama frowned but was cut off.

"Drink it or I'll force you into those overalls."

Sesshomaru perked his head up letting the door fall closed again.

"Fucking... dammit..." he faintly cursed under his breath.

"I NEVER AGREE TO DO THIS!" he shouted swerving around.

"Oh! Don't **even** pull that one on me sonny! You agreed to it the moment you sold yourself in court!"

Sesshomaru blinked in shock.

"So now you've been bought! And let me tell yea compared to all those other "lovely" juvinelie homes that would have taken you this seems like paradise! But if you want to go just tell me! I'll personally call the judge to hotwire you a ride to Maggie Valley's Deliquent Youth Facility! Where you can happily stay locked up for the rest of summer!" Kasama's voice roared like a boom of thunder with the kitchen as his sky.

"Is that what you want!?"

Sesshomaru faced downward.

"No..." he whispered.

"Is that what you want!?" he repeated.

He bolted his head up, sheer anger flamed in his eyes. "No!"

"GOOD! Because you're staying here for quite some time! And during that time **you are** going to obey, **you are **going to work, **you are **going to listen to **me, you are** going to listen to Mrs. Kasama, and right now **you are **going to sit down and drink your orangejuice!"

Sesshomaru bit his lip hard in furious anger. His glare a fiery metallic gaze of pent up rage.

"Don't give me that face" Kasama would not back down patiently waiting.

He curled his lip back in a deep growl. He straightened up and stomped to the table. Grabbed _his_ glass of orange juice and chugged it.

Kasama eyed the teenager cautiously who approached him. Sesshomaru glared Kasama square in the eye and said,

"I hate you."

9:30 A.M

"Good keep doing it just like that."

Sesshomaru exhaled arched his back up straight. He was sitting on his knees in the dirt, baking in the hot morning sun. He knuckled away some sweat already dripping from his forehead.

They had taken a ride in Kasama's beat up truck down the same path but this time behind the house to a wide open acre of land belonging to the Kasama family name. It was one huge field surrounded by moutains and hilly forestry. In the middle was a large red barn. The fields closest were fenced in for the animals to graze in.

"Why I'm I doing this? Shouldn't I be working in the cemetary?" he stared up at Kasama.

"You will but you're not only going to be working all summer in there. Remember this is a farm you got alot more work ahead of yea than you may think, now finish uprooting them carrots, once you're done you can start picking out the fresh tomatoes and get rid of the rotton ones."

He groaned with another bored exhale and bent over ripping another carrot out from the earth into the basket.

"Don't complain or I'll have you doing this all day."

Sesshomaru stopped and gave him a weird glance before turning to the million of other carrot and God knows what other crops he had planted.

"From the looks of it I will be doing this **all **day!" he sourly spat throwing the carrot into the basket.

"Well then you better start working than yapping" Kasama replied turning his back.

Sesshomaru sniffed growling as he went back to working.

_I pulled 101 carrots the first day. Yes I counted, what the fuck else was I supposed to do? And who plants that many damn carrots? It's like I'm working for fucking Bugs Bunny. I **never **want to see another carrot for the rest of my life..._

By 4:00 Kasama helped Sesshomaru carry the baskets of picked carrots and some tomatoes into the back of his truck. Sesshomaru sat in shotgun waiting as Kasama locked the main gate. He arrived back and drove.

"Tired?" Kasama asked noticing Sesshomaru hugging his knees with his head buried under his arms.

_' What the hell do you think?'_

"Yea."

"Think you can stay awake for dinner?" Kasama asked twisting the wheel right parking into a lot beside another truck and a van.

"..." Sesshomaru inaudiably muttered opening the door.

' _Walk around truck...'_

_' Grab one or two baskets...'_

_'Help carry them all inside...' _

Sesshomaru decided to take two and dazedly turned around. Kasama bent over grabbing four and when he brought himself he blinked and gasped at what was coming toward them.

"Sesshomaru heads up!"

"Huh-OOF!"

He landed hard into the dirt by a powerful shove. The baskets flew out of his hands and laid overturned a few feet away.

_' I'm I dead...?'_

Sesshomaru wriggled his nose as something long and wet probed along his face, make that two wet probing somethings. He fluttered his eyes open.

"Nope..." he submissively groaned at what he was looking up at.

Four dogs had pummeled him to the ground. The two biggest of the four were licking his face while the other two messed around with the lower half of his body by sniffing and rolling over his legs.

Sesshomaru cut his eyes at the rottweiler as her tongue started to cowlick the left side of his hair.

"Rascal! Colonel! Teddy! Licorice! Off now!"

Rascal and Colonel inwardly groaned being pushed away.

"Get off him now! Bad dogs! Bad!" Kasama shooed Teddy and Licorice. They trotted over to Rascal and Colonel.

"Sesshomaru are you alright?" Kasama kneeled down beside him.

He laid motionless with a frown.

"Here let me-"

"I'm fine" Sesshomaru grouched getting up before Kasama could lay a hand on him.

Kasama had to hold in a laugh at how comical the kid looked. The back of him all covered with dirt and grime, while pawprints tracked over he front of him, and on his left side of his face was a huge cowlick sticking out fresh in warm dog drool.

He started to brush his jeans when Mrs. Kasama came running out. Her dress whipped behind her as she ran over toward them.

"Oh what happened!?" she concernly asked staring from Sesshomaru to her husband.

"The dogs gave Sesshomaru a welcome greeting" Kasama half chuckled picking up the baskets Sesshomaru had dropped.

"Oh those blasted! I'm so sorry Sesshomaru they really meant no harm" she laughed as Colonel started rubbing up beside her. She patted his white curly neck.

"They just love people and get excited when they see someone new. I hope they didn't scare you."

"Nothing scares me" he grumbled taking a step forward.

A large growl erupted as the large poodle barged infront of Mrs. Kasama. Sesshomaru glared, the dog began baring his teeth.

"Oh Colonel! Stop it!" Mrs. Kasama lightly slapped Colonel's back, she kneeled beside him. Colonel returned to his friendly self and started giving her wet kisses on the cheek.

She giggled, "He gets alittle protective of me but don't worry he wouldn't hurt you."

"Uh-huh" he sarcastically replied.

She looked away and gave the poodle one last pat and stood up.

"Here let me help you.." she moved forward pulling her arm out to him.

Sesshomaru immediately backed away.

She raised her eyebrow and frowned. He stared frowning back with an awry eye.

Mrs. Kasama bit her lips together and sighed. "Tell yea what, why don't you go take a shower and I'll go help Mr. Kasama with the rest of those baskets. That way you'll be clean and fresh for dinner. Mmkay?"

Sesshomaru looked down from her eyes and nodded.

"Great you go on ahead now."

He glared steadily at Colonel passing the staring black eyed poodle and made it to the green steps infront of the screen door. He stopped there for a second and turned his head.

"What's for dinner?"

Mrs. Kasama turned around and grinned. "Well since you picked all those carrots I thought about making carrot stew!"

His shoulders dropped and his stomach bubbly churned.

He covered his hands over his eyes and mouth, silently cursing.

"Shit! Dammit all ta..Of all the motherfucking..."

_Darkness. _

"Darkness...is all I see right now..."

Sesshomaru puffed a long drag of his cigarette. The chalky grey smoke danced in the air like a charmed snake rising up to the blackened ceiling and curled out like a misting fog.

He quietly layed there.

Watching.

Satisfied he placed the cigarette back in his mouth and and let it dangle between his lips.

"The only thing that's made me happy today was that I have my own bathroom. See."

He automatically turned his head toward the half open doorway with a toliet and sink peeking from the inside. Sesshomaru then turned back to the dark ceiling.

"I didn't go to dinner."

_"Why?"_

"The moment I went into the shower I started to jerk off. Kasama fucking made a good argument, the damn hot sun burned my back while I sat in dirt tearing up vegatables with ants biting my hands every five frickin' minutes, and then those stupid dogs jumped me. I deserve to jerk off after all the shit thats happened to me today."

_"And now you're here." _

"Yep..." he whispered plucking the cigarette from his lips.

_"Hey you better quit with that smoking."_

Sesshomaru's eyebrow raised with a smirk at such nonsense.

"I'm no dumbass I'll spray the room with Lysol after I'm done" he placed it back in his lips exhaling.

_"Oh. Okay."_

"Yep..." he said again taking it out. "I fell right to sleep and no one came to wake me up" he began to french inhale.

_"That's bad isn't it?" _

He paused. The sides of his lips quivered as he rolled his glowing eyes over to the digital clock on the nightstand, it flashed 3:00 A.M. The time he woke up was twelve.

His lips twitched as they spread wider.

"Heehee hahaha!" he silently giggled grinning the biggest grin you'd ever see on Sesshomaru's face. His giggles turned into laughter with small beads of tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

"Yes! Yes!" he laughed trying to stop.

"They don't... heha.. know it hehe... but I'm also an insomniac! Hahaha!"

He giggled at the floating smoke rings he starting puffing. They rose up like a spiral staircase after another. No it was a march. He giggled again at the thought seeing and hearing it all. He began to sway his fingers in the smokey air, his cigarette pointing back and forth. He was the conductor of his own band, an orchestra of smoke rings.

_He stood on a stand tall and beaming in his black suit and gleaming red tie. He tapped the ash off his cigarette against the podieum and then raised his arm, the one pointing with the cigarette. He conducted the woodwinds smoke full of piping flutes, clarinets, and bassoons. He then introducted a smoking six horn brass its loud boom blasted throughout the arena. As the percussion and strings intertwined he swung his arms all together conjuring up smoke to curl, to dance, to fly with the music to interjoin into one elaborate symphony. _

_He stood there in one piece, as a cloud of smoke constricted around his body like a snake. He continued conducting never letting the concert end, grinning that big grin you'd ever see on Sesshomaru's face. Grinning all alone in the smoking blaze he had caused. _

For the past week Sesshomaru worked at the farm for the Kasama's, obeying Mr. and Mrs. Kasama's every wish, ate all his meals and drinks, obeyed the rules, he was a good boy. He'd fall right asleep before dinner so never attended it. He knew that pissed Kasama off but Kasama would rarely bring it up something Sesshomaru thinks had to do with Mrs. Kasama. He hardly came in contact with their son (Sesshomaru learning the teen's name was Danny) and their daughter (his once classmate) Rin. Sesshomaru planned to keep it that way and avoid the two at all costs. After his sleep just like the first day he woke up around 11:30 or 12:00, smoked a few cigs, and was able to fall asleep at some outrageous late time.


	7. Snap, Crackle, Pop

**VinylMono here sorry again for the long update but I hope you enjoy this chapter there was going to be more but I thought its 2 at night and this is a good way to leave off **

June 8, 1992

It was 'round one o'clock when the sun was high enough to roast the earth. Sesshomaru stopped pitch forking hay and wiped sweat from his forehead. Sweat had seeped itself under the pits of his arms and along his neck. He leaned himself over the pitchfork and stared at the fading red paint on the back of the barn. He drummed his gloved fingers against the wood pole of the pitchfork.

_' I had graduated from yardwork to taking care of the animals within a single week. Kasama owned alot of animals mainly cows, horses, and sheep, but also owned a couple of goats, chickens, and pigs. So far I've only learned how and what to feed them'_

Sesshomaru turned to see Kasama doing farmwork of his own while keeping a close eye on him. He glaringly frowned and turned away from Kasama and focused on an old box placed on a small lawn table beside him. The box's plastic yellow color gleamed brightly in the sunlight.

_'Mrs. Kasama packs my lunches. Maybe I should thank her sometime? I don't talk much, it bothers them' _

"Hey quit slacking!" Kasama shouted from his tractor.

Giving a sigh Sesshomaru picked himself and the pitchfork up.

_'Or maybe I should run for it. I've been thinking about it, maybe tonight but where?' _

He grunted pitching faster and harder, beads of sweat trickled his skin. He kept going even though his muscles were started to get tired.

_' Today had been uneventful. Go out to work on something, learn something new, keep working. Work, work, work. It's the same everyday. But even with all this work and Kasama keeping an eye on me every five seconds...'_

Sesshomaru gave the hay bail a hard heave into the air that it actually caused some straws to fly out. He stopped and watched the golden strands floating daintly in the air above him. His eyes widened.

_' Still...' _

A shiver went through his body so held his arms together trying to warm up.

_' I just couldn't stop myself from daydreaming...'_

"Snow..."

His eyes sparkled astonishly at the glistening snowflakes falling. He hurridly took off his converse and let his toes curl in the wet cold snow. He happily exhaled, a puff of frost followed. He stared up at the snowflakes again, it all felt so refreshing. He smiled, closed his eyes, and stuck out his tongue.

_' I awoke later by a bucket of ice cold water. Kasama said he found me passed out in the haystack.' _

"Shit! That's freezing!" Sesshomaru shivered huddling himself against the barn. Water dripped from his bangs while his whole body was soaked to the bone. He started rubbing his wet pant legs.

"Sorry you looked dehydrated it was the only thing I could think of" Kasama handed him a large towel.

"What are you talking about? It was the snow" Sesshomaru shivered wrapping the towel around his wet body.

"What?" Kasama blinked.

"The snow! It was...snow...ing...?" Sesshomaru switched his head from left to right. No snow. No snowflakes. Just the dry ground and hot sun. Summer.

Sesshomaru stopped shivering and rested his head against the barn's wood. He bit his teeth together and stared puzzled up at the sky that was once winter white.

"It was snowing..." he whispered.

Kasama frowned and shook his head.

"Alright you've been out in the sun too long. Let's just call it a day. Here I'll hel-" Kasama bent over pulling his arms out to him.

Sesshomaru immediately stood up. "I'm not a baby you don't need to hold my hand and you don't need to speak to me like I am one" he growled.

Kasama held his hands up in defense. "I was not speaking to you like you were a baby I was just trying to-"

"Help? Well I don't need it! Not from you or anyone else! So just stop! I know what I saw" he angerly exclaimed fuming his way towards the truck.

Kasama sighed hurridly following after him. This kid was hopeless.

_' Even more hopeless than Danny'_ he thought. _' I mean seeing snow? The hell's wrong with him? ' _

He jiggled out his keys and backed the truck up. Upon backing up he frowned at the haystack reflecting in the rearview mirror. He pictured the recent memory clear in his head. He noticed something was wrong when he saw the pitchfork lying on the ground. He quickly turned off his tractor and made a mad dash to the haystack. He gasped, bent down, and check to see if Sesshomaru was still breathing. John sighed in relief, he was. That's when he placed Sesshomaru's sneakers back on his feet, carried him against the barn and threw a bucket of water at him. But the thing about it that bothered him was when he found Sesshomaru lying in the haystack his legs and arms were all sprawled out;

_'...as if he were making a ...snow angel. ' _

This discovery made a chill go through his spine. He drove slowly while his eyes glanced back and forth to Sesshomaru. He was hiding under his arms again, crouched in his knees, huddled around the damp green towel. Unbuckled.

'_ He really believes he saw snow.' _

_' Not just saw, he __**felt **__it, he was there! ' _

_' But how!?' _

John made werid gestures with his face as a matter of thinking while driving. _' This kid must be more messed up than I thought. ' _Was all he could come up with. He frowned again. It worried him. What if he was the schizophrenic type?!

He carefully this time rolled his eyes to Sesshomaru afraid he would immediately catch him and stare at him with a crazy sinister blank person stare. Reading his thoughts. But he wasn't, sessile to his spot. John took a breath to relax and concentrated on driving for a couple minutes.

_' I'll just double up on his medicene '_ he nodded to himself in agreement as if it were the right thing to do. He this time more confidently looked again at Sesshomaru and for the first time actually felt sorry for him.

_' This poor kid... er demon kid..whatever will probably have to live with this illness the rest of his life. Who knows what hes been through? Do I want to know?' _

_' I wonder if he has any friends? ' _ he then randomly thought. ' _Well obviously the two he stood up for in court where his friends, but just two? Does he even have anymore than that? Who can go on living much less while suffering a mental illness such as severe as his and still go by on the support of two people in his life?' _

_' This kid needs serious..er, erm' _ John quickly stifled his thought. _' He needs.. well he needs someone in his life right now. ' _

They were almost home as Kasama tossed a sad look to Sesshomaru. He remembered a time in his life when he was not John but referred to as Johnny. How before most had moved to go start new lives, he had a large close knit group of friends. They were all sixteen, wild and reckless. How they started up harmless fun and trouble around town and yes even he a thirty-seven year old, rifle carrying, farmer was gun shot at a couple of times in his youth as well.

He knew he could not relate to Sesshomaru in any way but he could understand in a sense. Before he was John, Johnny loved to party and stay up late, he drank beer at the tender age of thriteen, hid a whole stack of Playboy's under his bed which his mom always found, listened to _The Sex Pistols_ and _Black Sabbath_, cruised in his car with friends to watch the sunset over the mountains.

Johnny loved fun, hated authority and his parents. He had deep questions about the world, moments of insecurity and hopelessness, times of certainty. He was just a kid.

But then Johnny grew up and became a father, he was now John. Devoted loving husband, early night sleeper, owns his parents house now and takes care of the farm, doesn't own his old car anymore, still drinks beer though, still had alot of his hair, still watches the sun set behind the Smokey's, and still listens to _The Sex Pistols _and _Black Sabbath_. A little of Johnny was still alive in John.

_' Maybe theres still alittle of a "Johnny" in all of us. I always see him in his eyes ' _John turned to Sesshomaru with a long hard stare. _' I wanna..help him... be that someone for him, but how?' _

He sighed staring up ahead at the view of some trees, the cemetery, and then his house.

"Are we there yet?" Sesshomaru grunted.

Kasama turned to him surprised but then chuckled, "Almost."

"You know Sesshomaru..."

"Hmmmm..." he groaned not caring.

"I want you to know that I'm still mad about what you did but I forgive you. And I know you probably hate me and hate living on my farm right now but it will all be for the best. Even though I'm your boss and guardian I want you to understand that if you feel like you need to talk you can come to me or Mrs. Kasama. We'll be here for you, we care about you and-"

Sesshomaru still crouched in his knees opened his eyes. It was all dark. His heart filled with terror.

_' Those words... ' _

"-your well being-"

His heart thudded.

_' No...' _

"Mrs. Kasama and I want what's best for you so you don't end up somewhere else-"

_' No...' _

"-like juvy, we'll take care of you-"

Sesshomaru tried to plug his ears but again he couldn't do anything. He couldn't move. His heart started to pound faster.

"No..." he whispered.

"I want you to know that you'll be alright-

"No..no..no-" Sesshomaru whispered faster and faster closing his eyes tight shut. Trembling, he tried to shrink himself away into nothing.

And at that moment John Kasama did something so terrible that in the future he will ultimately regret in doing so, it had almost killed him.

"Sesshomaru."

"No..." he slowly whispered. His heart tinkering in small fast beats.

Kasama turned to him. Gentley lifted his arm and placed his hand on Sesshomaru's shoulder.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sesshomaru immediately bolted up, screaming his head off. He wrestled himself against the car seat, he kicked and flared his arms around while his long hair whipped in every direction.

Kasama was struck dumbfounded and horrified at the sametime. Sesshomaru had literally flipped out. Keeping a steady hand on the wheel, Kasama tried to calm him down.

"Sesshomaru! Sesshomaru!" he grabbed him with his hand shaking him by the shoulder.

"No! No! Let me go! Let me go!" he screamed jerking like a fish out of water. "MOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"

_' Mom?! ' _Kasama still shook at him.

"Grrrrr let me go!"

"Ahhh!" Kasama retrieved his arm back. Sesshomaru had made a slash at his hand, the cut stung and begun to bleed.

"Mom!!! Get me out of here! Mom!! Get me OUT!!!" Sesshomaru banged himself against his seat kicking the dashboard.

"Sesshomaru! Sesshomaru STOP!"

"No! No! Where is my mom?! MOM!!!!!!" he screeched clawing away at the seat's leather apolstry.

"Please! Sesshomaru calm down! Please!" Kasama started to speed now almost at the cemetery. Fresh blood dripped from his hand. He bit his lip at the stinging pain.

"No! No! Where's mom? Moooom-"

Kasama started to get flustered. He didn't know what to do or say.

"Sesssho-Sesshomaru she's-SHE'S NOT HERE!" he angerly bursted in between his screaming.

Sesshomaru started breathing hard and panicky. "No.." he started shaking his head again. "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

"Sesshomaru pleas-"

"NO! Let me go! Let me go!" he started kicking and banging again at the door this time.

"Let me go! Let me go!!!!"

Kasama gasped aloud once Sesshomaru busted the glass window open with his bare arm. Larges shards of glass were stuck in his arm, he bled profusly.

"Mommmmmmmmmm!"

"Sesshomaru don't-"

Too late Sesshomaru opened the door of the moving vehicle and jumped out.

Turning back to the windshield Kasama's heart stopped and he stepped on the brakes stopping the truck right before it could ram right into a tree. He didn't waste time in running out to get Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru was sprinting downfield he had just gotten pass the cemetery when someone on horseback started cantering his way. He screamed as the person and horse started to catch up to him.

"No! No! Mooommm!" he pushed his lanky legs up higher to gain more speed, the blood from his arm splattered his shirt and face, leaving drops and red trails behind him.

"Sesshomaru!" Kasama shouted trying to catch up. He stopped panting bending to his knees feeling woozy.

The person on horseback was still gaining, she threw a rope in the air, lassoed it, and set it free.

Sesshomaru grinned still calling for mom, they were far behind, he was free. His happiness only lasted a short time when he heard thundering hooves and looked up to see a rope waving over him.

"Noooooooooooo!" he screamed the rope bounded his body.

"Got chyea" the person on horseback pulled Sesshomaru forward that he fell in the clay dirt.

"No! No! Mom!? Noooo!" he screamed rolling around, blood spraying from his arm. He flopped himself trying to free himself from the tight rope.

The person pulled on the horse's reins and stepped off the saddle.

She approached him. The sun shone in his eyes so he could not see her face. He continued to scream as she got closer to him.

"No! Noo! NOOOO!"

She was now on her knees.

"No! No!" he tried to inch away from her reaching hands. She then grabbed him by the sides of his face. They were now eye to eye with eachother. Her large brown eyes studied him, her fingers rubbing against his sweaty skin.

"No, no, no..." he slightly shook his head, terrified in her grip. Her eyes were dark and bold not about to break their stare.

Her bold voice boomed, "Enough."

Immediately his throat closed and his mouth shut. He became aware of her massaging fingers against the sides of his face and blinked. His stiff shoulders dropped and so did he against her. She gingerly slid his head onto her lap and stroked hair behind his ear.

"Mom...no...mom...please...mom..come..back..mom" his screaming had slowed to a whisper now.

"Shoo.." she cooed letting her hand now trace against his head in a soft pat.

Kasama came panting up at the sight of them, his eyes wide.

She impassively stared up at him with a mentally gone Sesshomaru cradled in her lap.

"Rin" he gasped.

**Next Chapter:"Psycho Therapy"  
**


	8. Psycho Therapy

**LISTEN UP! **

**"Okay sorry for the extremely long update I'm a senior now in highschool so I got of crap going on right now and part of it is I'm determined to finish this story it will probably be my last Inuyasha fanfiction. I'm sorry but around the end of this chapter I was going to have Sesshomaru interact more with Rin but wouldn't you know... writer's block showed up! So I was having a tough time with what should happen and so I kept putting it off and I know you really want to read this so I wanna give you guys what you want I promise to get rid of this writer's block and put more Rin and Sesshomaru interaction into the next chapter. Thanks for your reviews and support! Enjoy!" -VinylMono **

"'_Rin! You know----not----- to be out! You're--"_

_"Dad I'm fine! Hurry! He's---- alot of blood!---"_

_' She turned around and faced me. I was in the backseat of the truck everything looked so misty and hazy. Everything had this strange shade of blue in it. I could see Kasama driving in the front seat with a towel 'round his hand, she was riding shotgun. I slowly looked down at the bright red blood trickling down my pale white arm. My mouth opened. Her large eyes were the last thing I saw. ' _

Sesshomaru sat quietly on his bed in his 'cowboy' room. Sunlight poured through the windows capturing anything the light could reach making it warm and shine. Birds sang sweetly while cattle mooed in the distance. But he did not pay attention to this, his eyes were drawn focused on his arm.

_' I had to have forty stitches in my arm. They took out five large chunks of glass and about a dozen small ones too. They said I slept throughout the whole thing with an oxygen tank so that I wouldn't lose any air. I'm glad I was asleep, I hate hospitals. '_

There were minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises over his body also.

Staring at his stitches he wondered why ? The memory played like a fast forwarded train wreck. He could see himself yelling, he could hear Kasama yelling, the awful sound of glass breaking, the sun in his eyes, and then her.

He could hear them. They were talking about him from behind his door somewhere in the hallway. He could pick up in between sentences and words. They sounded angry...scared.

"What the hell exactly happened?" he whispered.

"I don't want that boy here anymore!"

"But John he--"

"He's crazy!"

He frowned biting his lip.

"Dad!"

"Rin get back to--"

"Mom!"

"Sweetheart please..."

"I'm fine! Really! I am! But _he's_ not!"

His scratched up fingers twitched nervously.

"Sweetie we know, Sesshomaru he's-"

"Nuts?"

"John!"

"What he is! He's dangerous Sherry!"

Sesshomaru bit his lip harder.

"If he's so dangerous I'll..."

"--What!?"

"Please!"

"NO!"

"I can---...just let me!... He almost **killed** dad today!"

Sesshomaru didn't want to hear anymore. He started to breath harder gripping onto his knees.

_' They're going to do it...they're going to send me someplace...' _

"I gota get out of here..." he jumped up frantically pacing around the room. He paused suddenly once the glistening of the window caught his eye.

"But!"

"The answer is no Rin!"

Fed up and angry Rin turned from her parents as they continued arguing. She stomped childishly down the hall hoping it'd get their attention. It didn't. She sighed, changing her stomp to a walk, continuing down the hallway.

_**' Rustle...Rustle...' **_

"Hmm?" she turned to Sesshomaru's room. She placed her ear against the door, her eyes widened.

_' Is he? Is he moving furiniture?! ' _

With a quick glance to make sure her parents weren't coming her way, she turned the door knob. Slowly swinging the door open, her mouth dropped and she gasped. They locked eyes.

Sesshomaru froze halfway through the window gripping onto a rope of tied bedsheets. Under him was the nightdesk he used to climb up into the window. Wasting no more time he immediately went under.

Rin blinked feeling an electrical jolt just hit her.

"No don't!" she shouted, running up onto the nightdesk and tightly pulled the rope bedsheets back.

Sesshomaru was midway down the side of the house. He stared up angerly at her.

"Let go!" he barked lightly tugging the bedsheet rope. He didn't want to strain his messed up arm or the stitches would pop.

"No! Are you insane!?" Rin's skinny arms tried to pull with all her might so that Sesshomaru would be pulled all the way back inside. She was able to pull him up closer by just a few inches.

He sucked hard on his teeth.

_' By then I was really getting sick of people calling me crazy. They want me fucking crazy! Then fine! I made up my mind. ' _

**"Yes!"** he exclaimed his hands now free of the bedsheets grip floating in mid air.

Rin's jaw dropped panically. The jolt hit her again and she immediately grabbed his hands before he could fall any lower.

Irritated, Sesshomaru struggled his hands in her grip.

"LET GO!"

She couldn't answer as she bit down on her lip. He was so heavy and she wasn't strong enough.

"RIN!?"

Gasping Rin slowly turned her head away to see her parents running for her. Mrs. Kasama grabbed onto Rin's waist heaving, while Kasama helped her pull Sesshomaru up from the window.

Rin was beginning to sweat as Mrs. Kasama led her away giving a concerned glance at Kasama. He frowned still holding onto Sesshomaru's wrist.

"LET ME GO!" he shouted jerking his wrist.

"Will you just cool it for a second!" Kasama bitterly replied sitting Sessomaru down on the bed. Kasama turned around shutting the window, Sesshomaru raised his neck up noticing the large gauze bandage wrapped around his hand.

_' Did I do that?' _

He heard footsteps and turned to see Mrs. Kasama return. She teeterly smiled, twisting her fingers.

Kasama heavily sighed still with his back on Sesshomaru. He couldn't look at the kid after what had happened.

"Breaking windows...and now jumping out of them!?" Kasama swallowing in, turned around to face him. "Just what the heck did you think you were doing!?"

Sesshomaru just sat there staring at the floor and taking glances at his stitches. He didn't want to be there anymore. It was like talking to his father.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you."

Sesshomaru's eyes rolled up to him with a hard glare. Kasama shook off the shivers he was feeling and continued on ranting while Mrs. Kasama shared her imput as well. After about three minutes of this he was starting to get aggitated and fidgeted in his spot.

His lip snarled, "LOOK! WILL YOU JUST CUT THIS OUT!"

His outburst gave a steady shock but he remained unphased.

"If you're going to do it then just say it!"

Kasama and Mrs. Kasama gave eachother puzzled and worried glances.

Mrs. Kasama drew in a breath, "Say what 'hon?"

"Don't lie! He said it himself! I'm not wanted here! You're going to send me away someplace aren't you!?"

Kasama frowned guiltly now.

"Oh no! Sesshomaru we would never think-"

"Look Sesshomaru I didn't mean what I said" Kasama slowly answered cutting her off.

"Sure you did " ..._they always do...'_

Getting annoyed now he sighed. "No...I didn't. I...I was very upset that's all."

"Upset? Upset about what? That I scratched you? That I'm off my rocker? That I'm alittle bit tweaked in the head, a basketcase...insane in the membrane? Stop me if I guess it!"

Kasama grimaced rubbing his head, he was losing some of his patience.

"Sesshomaru please..." Mrs. Kasama pleaded. Kasama tossed her a curious look.

Sesshomaru too stared up at her with wondering eyes and full attention.

"Please understand that we are all under a court order and even though with one phone call we can change that" Mrs. Kasama glanced at Kasama. Sesshomaru felt his heart tick like a time bomb.

"We are not going to."

A huge inner sense of peace flooded his stressed insides, but there was still some skepticism left in him.

"Why? Is this some sort of trick?"

"No! No tricks! We want you to stay here."

Sesshomaru looked over at Kasama with a hard stare. "Well what about you?"

Kasama gave a long tired sigh and nodded. "Sesshomaru I know we really haven't gotten along too great especially with everything that's happened today but-"

"You almost killed yourself... twice..today."

"And Mrs. Kasama having so agreed right now that it is our best interest that you stay here with us. You will be alot safer."

_' It was weird how they were able to finish eachother's sentences like that. ' _

"We just don't want to see you get hurt anymore. We want you to get better and if we give you away to somewhere else and something happens...we.. we..would never forgive ourselves" Mrs. Kasama stammered. Mr. Kasama softly placed his hand upon her shoulder.

Sesshomaru watched in slight awe his eyes blinked and widened a bit.

_' Is she crying?' _

Sesshomaru's nostrils exhaled ripples in the warm water arising hot steam amongst the cool air. His amber eyes peering from the water like a crocodile. He turned to his stitched arm again, frowning. Careful, he took his arm out of the water and let it dry against the side of the tub. Raising himself alittle, he looked at the calm bath water washing away the blood and dirt from his soiled body. He then lowered back down and sighed, fluttering his eyes closed, slipping, drifting, letting the tide take him away.

"Suicide is definately out of the question..."

Sesshomaru rested on the rippling sand at the bottom of the ocean floor. Dark blue waves tranquilly fluctuated from above.

_' Why?' _

"You saw that look on Mrs. Kasama's face...she...basically...was..."

_' Heart Broken?' _

Sesshomaru grimaced, mixed thoughts circulating his head. Finally, with much hesitance, he replied, "I.. am.. confused."

"Why? Why is she like this? Why are _they _like this to _me_?"

The only answer he got was a window hammered poorly down with nails and a plate of steak. He sternly frowned at the awkward cup of tea sitting beside his dinner. That was another thing he pondered over as he munched down on his steak, Mrs. Kasama would always serve him juice or tea or cider or soda or some other beverage more than water. Come to think of it he thought he only got water when he was working but never any other time.

"Strange..."

_' This whole place is strange...' _

Sesshomaru exhaled, pouting, lying on the bed. He turned over to see his alarm clock and growled. It was only eight and Sesshomaru was growing restless. He got up fidgeting his leg and clapping his hands against his knees. Instantly he sprung up and paced about the bedroom back and forth, back and forth, swearing, and had the instant desire to kick his foot through the old cowboy wallpaper.

"Grrr...fuck it!" he dropped to his knees, grabbed his duffel bag out from under the bed, and zipped out the marijuana.

"You...you know this might not be sooOOoo bad hehehee" he nervously tittered releasing a puff of his joint. He started pacing around the room again taking faster hits.

"How many more days of summer are there?" he gasped looking around at the walls. "Bastards... didn't leave me a calender."

He grinned laughing and in a heartbeat returned back to a serious face.

"I...I can't take this. No I can. No...no I can't. I...I..gota..." Sesshomaru stopped his eyes widened at the tempting window. He blinked shaking his head. He sighed placing the joint back to his mouth.

"No...I gota finish my sentence...they said, they said they wanted me to stay so..so..."

Eyes watered up he went into a fit of coughing. The joint was spat from his lips to the floor as his coughs grew more and more hoarse. Flem was coughed into his hands.

_' What if they lied? They...they wouldn't lie would they? WOULD THEY???' _

_"Don't worry Sesshomaru..." _

Sesshomaru slowly blinked the tears blurring with the lights.

_' They were such very bright lights...' _

_"This won't hurt a bit..." _

Sesshomaru tried to breathe as he dropped to his knees wheezing out hurdles of coughs from his stinging thoart, his lungs felt like they were going to collaspe. He continued to cough dragging himself up against the door and grabbed the door handle able to pull himself back up. His legs shook wobbly, resting himself against the door's wood grasping the door handle for support, his coughing now calming and finally ceasing to gasping exhales.

_' They're gonna kill me...' _

"I gota get out of here..." swallowing down the last salty flame in his throart, he turned the handle pushing the door open.


	9. Something New

  
"Where do you think you're going Sesshomaru?" 

There was a loud click and in an instant two long barrels were just inches away from Sesshomaru's nose. Sesshomaru sucked in a loud sniff making his lips tight as he perked his head up. His eyes large and wide; frozen in a stare at the two empty black holes. His heart heaved heavily in his hallow chest.

"Well?" Rin asked again her finger held to the rifle trigger.

Sesshomaru whirled his eyes from the rifle to Rin. She looked different now not so tired, not so weak.

_' Like when she first stepped off that horse..._Sesshomaru suddenly felt his eyes rolling back..._' Uh-oh...' _

Rin let go of the trigger and dropped her gun.

_' Someone is holding my hand. '_

_' Where are we going? '_

_' My shoes are red. ' _

_' Red. Like the leaves on the ground. ' _

_"Remember in every bit of darkness there is always a bit of light just as in every jar there is a butterfly..." _

_' I am young again. ' _

Turning in his slumber Sesshomaru popped open his eyes.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed flinging the blankets off and ran out the door, down the stairs, and slid his sock covered feet against the kitchen tile skidding to a halt. Everyone at the table was staring at him.

_' Awkward...'_

"Hi" he said with a wave of his hand.

"Good morning Sesshomaru here take a seat I'll go get you a plate" Mrs. Kasama pointed to an empty chair beside her and Mr. Kasama.

"Uh thanks" he frowned yearning his eyes over to the backdoor as he sat down. Mrs. Kasama immediately placed a plate of pancakes in front of him. Sesshomaru scowled peering his eyes upward at Rin who was giggling at him. She was already dressed in an orange tank top with a red short sleeved flannel and navy blue shorts. Her curly black hair woven in two long braids.

"What's so funny Rin?" Mrs. Kasama asked sitting down.

Rin giggled and then stifled herself, smiling, "Oh..nothing mom."

"Hey Dad what happened to your han-"

"UH Danny! How about some more sausage's hon'!" Mrs. Kasama shrieked bending over the table scraping sausage onto his plate.

"Uh thanks mom but-"

Mrs. Kasama widened her eyes, lightly shook her head, and placed her hand holding the fork under her chin and along her neck in a slicing manner. Danny caught the drift and shut his big mouth.

Coughing alittle Kasama turned to Sesshomaru, "How's your arm?"

Sesshomaru sucked on the syrupy pancake piece in his mouth and swallowed. He frowned still hazy about what had happened.

"Alright I guess...it just feels weird" he answered tracing his finger along the bumpy stitched line. He then looked up at Kasama realizing what time it was in the morning. "Um how come you didn't wake me up early today?"

Before he answered, Mrs. Kasama butted in taking away Kasama's finished plate and hers.

"Oh we decided hon' that you needed the rest after all that went on...yesterday...and last night" Mrs. Kasama gingerly answered walking over to the sink.

"Last night?" Sesshomaru croaked almost choking while swallowing down orange juice.

"Yes."

He turned towards Kasama.

"Rin tells us you fainted when she went to check up on you" he replied folding up the newspaper.

_' Fainted?'_

Sesshomaru's mind did a recap of last night and he scowled again at the memory of _her_. Just like Daddy's little girl sporting a shooting rifle this time pointed straight in his face.

"Oh yea..." he seethed overhearing Rin stifle another laugh.

Kasama and Mrs. Kasama both mentally agreed not to ask why. Kasama then stood up and notioned to Sesshomaru.

"You finish up breakfast and when you're done get dressed and meet me in the living room."

"Why?" Sesshomaru asked after another long gulp of his orange juice.

Kasama scratched the back of his neck seeming alittle disjointed at what he had just said himself. "Well since the doctor says your arm will be in stitches for a while and you can't do anything too straining to it...so were gonna have to settle on some new rules. Okay?"

Sesshomaru slowly nodded and took a glance at his sliced arm. In a guy way he thought the ugly cut was sorta cool, but still...

_' What had happened?' _

He was getting pissed at being shut out at whatever had happened between him and Mr. Kasama but at the sametime grateful; he hated to admit that he was too afraid to just outright ask.

_' Better to just forget..'_

Tracing with his finger along the dry blood and bumpy stitched line he suddenly thought about the dream he just had.

_' I haven't had one of__**those**__ dreams in a long time...why all a sudden now? ' _

He stopped his finger at the thirty-fifth stitch under the instinct that he was being watched.

Rolling his amber pupils upward his eyes locked on Rin and Danny's prolonged weird staring. At being caught all three lively adjusted their heads back to their plates and continued eatting in silence.

Sesshomaru strolled bored and casually down the stairs wearing ratty jeans and a white tee that read in big faded black font **LOSER **across the chest. His eyes curiously gazed at some of the family portraits that traveled upward from the stairs, looking back down he saw Danny walking up the steps and immediately slipped.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Danny hurridly stepped up to him.

_' Go away...go away... ' _Sesshomaru shrinked and huddled, shivering beside the wall. He opened his eyes to see a pasty hand with black finger nail polish drawing closer towards him. He was seconds from losing it again.

"Danny what happened?" Mrs. Kasama interrupted and Danny drew his hand back. Sesshomaru let out a few deep breaths darting his eyes around. Feeling confident he pounced back up and in a rush brushed past Mrs. Kasama.

Confused, Danny shrugged and departed upstairs leaving Mrs. Kasama to sigh.

Upon entering the cozy living room Kasama shut off the television and pointed to a chair for Sesshomaru to sit in. He ran his fingers through his silver hair as he did so.

"You okay?" Kasama raised his eyebrows at the kid's sudden nervousness.

Sesshomaru coughed and nodded, "Yea I'm fine."

Kasama nodded and went on with what he was going to say. He explained to him how badly in condition his arm really was and that the stitches would need to stay in for atleast a month to completely heal and mend his skin. If one day they did open up then he would have to be rushed to the emergency room immediately or risk losing even more blood than he already had.

In a way Sesshomaru saw this situation to his advantage and bratly grinned and eased back in his chair.

"So I guess this means I'm outa work huh?" he clucked.

Kasama chuckled and then in a serious voice, "Actually I'm just gona make you work twice as hard now."

His jaw dropped, "What!? But you said!"

"Hey I know what I said now hear some more. From now on we'll get up at nine, come out to the farm and help work, and then we end at 5:30."

_' That's a half hour more of work than before! ' _

"But what about my arm?" he countered trying to find a way out.

"Don't worry I said twice as hard but nothing too hard that you can't handle..."

Sesshomaru craned his neck in curiousity noticing the trudging sigh in Kasama's voice as they left the living room and into the kitchen. Kasama turned his head alittle before opening the kitchen back door.

"Oh.. and um..by the way someone has offered to help you and watch over you while you work."

Sesshomaru blinked his eyes wide watching Kasama leave out the door. He gave a slight twitch in his body and cranked the door wide open.

"Hey! Wait! Who!?"

**'CLICK!' **

"Ah!" Sesshomaru shielded his eye as a bright white flash erupted into his iris.

"Nice shirt."

Blinking he placed his hand down to see who it was. Rin lowered her polaroid camera that ejected a picture of Sesshomaru shielding his hand over his eye at the sparkling sun burst.

Sesshomaru stopped and turned to Kasama shaking his head. "No."

Kasama sighed knowing this would be tough especially for the kid. "Sesshomaru-"

"No! Not her!" Sesshomaru shouted pointing to Rin who was barely paying any attention to him but at her photo. "I won't do it! I don't need a **damn **babysitter!"

"Oh believe me boy, you do" Rin nonchantly said still occupied with the photo. His immediate glare and ferocious growl didn't even stir her .

"Okay you two now just calm down, let's talk this out. Sesshomaru please listen to reason..."

"REASON!?"

"You are injured, you tried to jump out of a window, and I won't be able to watch you the entire time but Rin will. She's the one that has prevented you from causing anymore damage to yourself. Sesshomaru this is the best thing for you!"

"You don't know what the best thing is for me! I can take care of myself!" he angerly shouted ready to throw a tantrum.

"She will watch over you to make sure you don't hurt yourself again. Please Sesshomaru understand this is for your benefit when I meant you will work twice as hard I meant with Rin helping you if and when you need it! Please Sesshomaru just let us do this until your arm is completely healed. We don't want to see you get hurt again. _Please_" Kasama urged hoping by some miracle the kid would cooperate.

Sesshomaru gritted his teeth grinding them, his face hard with fury. By now Rin was paying full attention, the picture waving in her fingers as she stared concentrated on Sesshomaru's angry movements.

Every sound made whether it be birds chriping, the wind swaying, the cicadas droning, or any other noise in close range of where they stood made Sesshomaru feel under pressure as if they were all awaiting his final answer.

_' What is this my damn conscience?!' _

Again he ran his fingers through his wild hair, breathing hard, the earthly sounds getting louder and louder until he couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright! Fine!" he softly shouted violently letting his good arm fall to his side.

Kasama felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders, his body and legs felt so loose and free, that it felt he might almost fall. He grinned up at the sky mentally thanking God.

Sesshomaru stormed over to him and pointed his finger at him. "But only until my stitches get taken out. After that she's gone. Okay!?"

Kasama almost laughed out loud but only grinned, "Alright I promise. Thankyou so much Sesshomaru-"

"Yea...yea..." he groaned walking over to Kasama's truck.

Kasama inwardly laughed glancing over to Rin who's cheeks were perked up that gave away to her grinning smile hidden behind the picture she held.

On the outside he looked as if he had calmed down but on the inside he was boiling.

_' WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!????? STUPID ASS MOTHER FUCKER!!!!!!! I FUCKING HATE YOU!!!!!!!THIS IS SUCH BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!! I HAVE TO BE GUARDED BY HERRRR!!!!! THE CLASS ANOREXIC GIRLLLLLL!!!!'_

"This isn't fucking fair.." he sourly remarked about to open the passenger door. He stopped midway, his arm slowly recoiled. A breeze slowly blew against his long hair and at first that was all he could hear until his eyes opened wider.

_' The awful sound of glass breaking...' _

There were screams, his screams, and then...

He looked down at his injuried arm and then back at the glassless window.

"Just in case you're wondering..yea you did that."

Slightly jumping in his skin he turned around.

**'CLICK!' **


	10. Enter Rin

Low in his seat, he glared at the broken window.

_' I don't wanna do it but...'_ he frowned.

Slowly he cocked his head to the side peering into the dusty backwindow. Rin was sitting in the back of the truck, her head laid against the window, her braids swaying against the wind. Inwardly he seethed, his eyes ablaze, still alive with fury at _her_.

_' She knows something...' _

Rin tiredly sighed staring up at the vast blue sky. She grabbed her polaroid camera and snapped a picture of the sun.

**'CLICK!'**

Sesshomaru lowly growled rolling his eyes for the hundredth time. He was wobbling on three large boxes and a tiny stool.

**'CLICK!'**

All morning he didn't speak to Rin and neither did she to him, all morning he worked with one good arm while Rin took pictures. Pictures of him. Anything he did Rin took a picture of whether it'd be strainfully with one arm shutting the heavy gates after Kasama released the animals in certain enclosed areas, trying to pitch fork hay, or uprooting weeds.

Or reaching one arm to grab a can of paint from the top shelf in the barn.

_' What could she find so possibly amusing by this?'_ he grimaced failing to stretch his good arm far enough. It was definately getting on his nerves.

He turned around careful not to fall.

"Look will you cut that out" he irritably replied. He gasped at the sudden wobble but retained back to balance.

Rin stared hard at him like he was at her, "Why should I?"

"Why?" he squated down off the stool and gingerly slid down the boxes. As he approached Rin, like his sullen demeanor- his long silver hair whipped left and right like the tail of a tested cat.

"Because it's annoying!"

"Then let me help you" she calmly asked.

"No" he flatly answered and turned around. Rin tossed her head, groaned, and swooped to his side.

**'CLICK!'**

This time strands of his silver hair stood up and he swerved around at her more angry than before.

"I told you ta cut it out! What are you!? Some stalker in training!?"

Biting her lip didn't stop Rin from raising her voice back at him.

"You won't let me help you! What else I'm I supposed to do!?"

"Uh here's an idea..GO AWAY!"

"I'm sorry Sesshomaru but I can't do that. As of right now I'm your guardian and if you won't let me help you then I still have to watch you. Dad's orders."

Sesshomaru threw back his head and let out a laugh.

"Don't you seriously have better things to do than watch me!?"

_At that moment an instant memory shot in my brain of how you were plagued the weird girl at school so mentally I thought otherwise. _

"Or do you always do what Daddy says?" he mockingly teased and turned his back on her.

"Yes because I love him" Rin honestly admitted with such valiance in her voice as if she were a martyr.

"Pah Daddy's Girl...this place..y'all make me sick!" he spat and walked to the boxes.

Rin's face now grew redder than a hot tamale. And when Rin was really mad she got real stubborn.

"What about you Sesshomaru!? Huh?! Yea MOMMA'S BOY!"

Before he even touched a box Sesshomaru swung his head to Rin, his eyes large, his eyebrows raised, his mouth dropped, and every hair on his body stood up.

"Wha-what did you say?" he asked hoarsely as a knot developed its way into his throat. A slight tremble quivered up and down his body as the beating of his heart had slowed alittle.

"Geez don't you rememeber!? You were screaming bloody murder! You were screaming for _your_ _mommy_!"

Sesshomaru frowned unable to digest what he just heard. The feeling gave out in his legs, he leaned himself against the boxes to help keep him from falling.

"Don't you remember Sesshomaru!? Ohhhhh MoOoooOOM!! Where's mom!? Moooom! Oh mommy please come back! Mom!!" Rin wickedly gushed.

He was now white as a ghost and had an asthmatic's breath. He looked up at her, "...Sh-ut up..."

"Oh mommmy please come back!! Mommm pleassssse saaaave me from these 'baaaaad people!' " she fluttered her eyes and held her hands together dramatically.

"I said...shut up" Sesshomaru mustered his chest hallow and heaving, he began to push himself up.

Rin's eyes then grew heavy and she dropped her hands at her sides. "And then I had to save you from killing yourself."

He blinked now on his own two feet his hand still on the box.

"You were lucky I was out riding that day or who knows what could'a happened" she replied more softer now fixated on the last photo she took of him.

Impatiently he shouted, "Whatta yea mean what could'a happened?! What _did_ happen!?"

Rin stopped looking at her picture and stared up at him. "You mean you _really_ don't remember?"

"Only bits and pieces and what so far you've told me. You say I was screaming and I broke the truck's window with my arm and I remember Kasama yelling and then I was all hot...running and then ..." Sesshomaru turned and pointed at her. "You."

Rin stared intently at him.

"And that's all I can remember...I wanna know more and..I wanna know why. Why it happened..." he felt his warm forehead and glanced up at Rin. Immediately he returned to his usual cold posture.

"You gotta tell me."

Rin crossed her arms, "No."

He growled trying to be cool, "Look I'm not playing around."

"Neither I'm I."

"Tell me now!"

Rin's brow furrowed unphased by his anger, "I'm not telling you a thing unless you agree to let me help you."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He just couldn't. He shook his head, "No no no no no!"

"Sesshomaru" Rin sighed.

"No..no fuck you alright. I don't need you or your fucking help, it's your damn fault why I'm here in the first place."

"Oh right" she frowned. "It's _my_ fault you and your friends decided to trash _my_ family's cemetary."

"It's your fault for tattling!"

Rin's eyes widened and she let out a small gasp.

"What!? You didn't think I wouldn't have figured it out by now!?" he drew closer to her. "You didn't think I wouldn't have guessed that you snitched on me and my friends when I found out that your dad's last name was Kasama!" he shouted growing closer into her face.

She winced trying to back up some to give alittle room inbetween their faces.

"Why?! Why did you do it? You could have just left us alone! You could have atleast been a "normal" person and not said a word to your parents!"

He now backed her up into a corner.

"So why did you tell!?" Sesshomaru shouted louder, he wanted to scare her.

"I don't know!" she confessed sinking her head back up. "What you were doing was wrong, so I just told!"

"Grrr!!" he growled and whirled around away from her. He really wanted to punch something hard at that moment but turned back at her.

"If it wasn't for you snitching I wouldn't even be here! I wouldn't be working on this stupid farm! I wouldn't have a bloody arm! I wouldn't be flying out of moving trucks or windows!"

Rin clenched her teeth, inside she felt back stabbed and hurt. "If it weren't for me you'd be dead Sesshomaru! Did you ever think of that!?"

_'All of a sudden it was completely quiet, I stood there still and nothing in the world could have made me turn away from you...until you started talking again.' _

"Dead! Stone cold in the ground dead! I was there! I saved you! **I was there for you! **I mean...doesn't that mean anything to you?!" Rin exclaimed trying to search for a hint of regret upon his face.

Sesshomaru stared her in the eyes and said, "I would rather be dead."

He turned around, leaving.

"Don't you **dare** say that."

Sesshomaru stopped. He didn't turn back around.

"Don't you ever say that! Don't say that to me or anyone!" Rin's shaky voice began to scream.

The tension in the room rose to a new level. He could feel she was on the verge of longly overdue tears.

She didn't wait for an answer, she knew he wasn't going to try, "You don't mean it! No one truly wishes to be dead! It's just a lie!"

This time he did turn around. Rin straightened up her posture, her stick legs shook like a new born lamb. She took a few deep breaths her nostrils moist.

"Obviously you've never met a crazy person."

"Oh yes I have! And even then she didn't want to die!" Rin barked back.

_' Damn...she has an answer for EVERYTHING! ' _

Sesshomaru inwardly groaned growing tired of her. He turned around to face her.

"Well...whoever "she" is, is a moron. Everyday I pray for something to come and just kill me."

Rin narrowed her eyes, "That's a horrible thing to pray for."

He only shrugged hoping she would finally shutup, "Like I said, I'm crazy."

"Look! Just stop! Stop it alright!"

He raised an eyebrow, "Stop what? You started it."

"Just stop saying you're crazy! Right now I'm starting to believe you're not as crazy as you say you are."

_' What?' _

"What!?" Sesshomaru stared at her in outright shock. She wasn't bluffing, she was serious.

"Rin! Look at me!" he angerly shouted raising up his stitched arm. "You've seen me! You saw what happens when I go nuts! That isn't enough for you?! Why else are you here right?! So the "looney" doesn't fuck himself up again!"

"Okay Sesshomaru, you can call yourself crazy..." Rin looked down thinking back to how scary he had looked when he let go of the bedsheet rope.

"...And maybe you are but..." she turned her eyes upward into his.

"I'm beginning to think there is more to it than that. And whatever _it _is I'm going to find out."

Sesshomaru frowned, "Why are you doing this?"

"Hmm?" Rin slanted her head at him, surprised at how soft his voice had changed. She blinked shaking herself from his gaze, "Um, because .."

"Why are you and your dad and everybody else here doing this to me!? I just want to get this shit over with and leave! I don't get why no one won't leave me alone! And if you think I call myself crazy just to get attention than you are dead wrong!" he shouted kicking his foot so hard against the box that the stool and other box toppled over.

"It's real!"

"I didn't say you use it as a way to get attention!"

"Then what then!?"

"I'm just saying sometimes you use it as a way to seperate yourself from others, especially from the people like me or my dad who are only trying to help you" Rin gingerly said so she wouldn't come off too harsh.

"I told you I don't need anyone's help!"

"See! There you go again!"

"What?! What I'm I doing?" he sneered shrugging his arms up.

Rin groaned and almost laughed, he was the most argumentive and venomous person she had ever met.

"Sesshomaru don't you see!? You're in _DENIAL! _It's like you can't let anyone get close to you!"

Sesshomaru crossed his arms and gruffly blew at his bangs. He raised his eyebrow as she drew closer to him.

"Your point?"

"Sesshomaru don't you get how much easier it will be to stop acting crazy and tell someone how you feel? Stop playing the loner, so come on tell me what's wrong? I'm here for you" Rin did her best to smile and raised her hand to touch his face.

Sesshomaru's breathing increased, taking a short step backward.

_It had felt so much like being in all those psychiatric sessions I had since I was six._

His eyes darted left and back to Rin's approaching hand. He stared at it, Rin's palm was small and white, her knuckles actually looked bigger than the rest of it and her fingers were so long and so thin it reminded him of a spider's legs. Long, hairy, and feely crawling all over his face. He clenched his teeth as absolute disgust took over his face.

"Ew don't touch me!" he grimaced and slapped her hand away from him.

"Ow!" she winced rubbing her hand and looked at him scornfully.

"I don't need your pity! Not from you! So why don't you just go make yourself vomit in another toilet you bulimic anorexic!" he hatefully shouted.

Rin gasped her mouth wide open. Her whole body felt weak, especially her heart.

"I keep people like you away from me because I don't like you not because I'm hiding anything and if you haven't noticed I'm not such a loner I do have friends. I'm not like you! Using some illness to get people to feel sorry for me so they'll like me!"

Rin tried to breath as the air around her was getting hotter, bad memories flashed before her and wouldn't leave her alone like she so desperately pleaded them to. Sesshomaru wickedly grinned knowing he had hit her in the right spot. He began to recite a nasty school yard song all the kids in their class used to tease her with.

"Rin! Rin! Has no friends..."

'_No please stop it!' _she closed her eyes and pressed her hands tight over her ears. But she could still hear all the other kids chiding in.

"Thin Rin can't eat 'cause she's got no friends!"

_'Stop it!' _

"She's skinnier than a tooth pick!"

_'Stop it!' _

"Eat Rin! Eat! Eat Rin! Eat!"

" I AM NOT ANOREXIC!" Rin screamed at the top of her lungs.

She stared at him flushed face and glossy eyed but no tears, she had learned long ago that crying wouldn't save her.

Sesshomaru mean spiritedly chuckled. "And I thought I almost forgot how that went."

"That wasn't funny" she angerly replied.

"Well I suppose you're right. After all anorexia and bulmia are no laughing matter."

She became increasingly erratic, "I'm not anorexic or bulimic!"

"Save it. When Mary Sheller caught you throwing up in the girl's bathroom we all had our suspensions. I mean why else would you be so skinny? And then a teacher found you passed out againsted a toilet in another bathroom so it we all knew it had to be true!"

"Shutup! Shutup!" Rin screamed.

"You know Rin it really is a sick problem you got" he bitterly remarked.

Rin stopped screaming and shaking, her body felt like it was going back to normal again. Her eyes blazed angerly at his sullen gaze.

"Oh you wanna know what your problem is Sesshomaru?!"

"Humor me" he barked in a bring it on tone.

"You live in a DREAMWORLD."

"Oh I do, do I?" he growled.

"Yes! You can't face it when something real happens you day dream hoping it will all go away! Well it's not!" she shouted.

He snarled now at the end of his leash with her.

"Rin? Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru and Rin tore their faces from eachother to see Mr. Kasama arriving into the barn. He soon spotted them and quickened his pace.

"There you are. Sesshomaru you get that paint yet?"

"Uh, no" he mumbled. "I was trying to reach for it" he pointed over to the very high shelf.

"Well Rin why didn't you just show him where the ladder was" Kasama walked over into a thin wooden door right beside them and came out carrying a ladder.

Sesshomaru shot her a glare, she glared straight back.

"Sorry Dad, guess I forgot."

"No matter here Sesshomaru" he pushed the box aside and propped the ladder up.

Sesshomaru continued to glare at Rin as he walked up the ladder.

_' Two can play at this game.' _

"You know she shouldn't watch me. She tried to shoot me with a rifle last night" he quickly said and pointed at Rin. Kasama looked bewildered at him.

"Oh man Sesshomaru you must have really been blazed last night! That was just a _**toy**_!" she sneered with a laugh.

Sesshomaru sucked his own breathe back into his lungs, dropping his jaw. Kasama now looked bewildered over to Rin.

"Blazed Rin?"

"Oh you know Dad, blazed! Means he was really tired" Rin replied staring at Sesshomaru with a bratty smile. He narrowed his eyebrows wanting to break her face in.

**First Chapter Where Sesshomaru Calls her Rin look for that sentence! lol **

**Okay my fellow readers thankyou so much for being so loyal and patient. Please give me some credit here (reviews) this chapter was awfully hard to write so it took me a whiiiiile but I really really hope you like it. And like I said before I'll be updating on my own time so don't expect a new chapter so soon but don't lose your faith in me or this story especially you Krazi3-AnimeLover! Your message made me laugh. I will finish this story! Thankyou! Good night**


	11. Dream World

Sesshomaru hit the garden hoe to the ground and stood up cracking his back. He exhaled, swiping the sweat off his brow and looked over his shoulder. He gapped. Rin sat perfectly comfortable in a lawn chair with a purple umbrella sticking above her head for shade a couple of feet away from him. She layed there fanning herself with one of those cordless fans that sprayed water at you when you press the button. In her other hand she held a cold dripping Capri-Sun taking long sips from the straw every five minutes. The sunlight sparked off her black shiny aviators as she turned to Sesshomaru.

He frowned, sniffing. Sweat dripped off his nose causing it to itch. She quirkly smiled at him and continued fanning herself from the summer heat. His eyes widened, enraged, as he tightened the hoe harder in his good hand and began to hoe the rest of the crop field much faster.

The next day was the same except this time she had brought fire cracker poppers to throw near his feet. Annoying antics like these continued on for days. He would be doing some back breaking farm labor while _she_ tortured him with some childish thing. Of course this had angered him more than anything that had happened to him so far but there was nothing he could do. She knew he had drugs now.

"How fucking dare she..." Sesshomaru seethed lying upright in his bed. It was Sunday afternoon, his doctor recommended dayoff. He grabbed his lighter and one of his last cigerattes with shaking hands. After failing three times to ignite a spark he grew frustrated and threw the lighter across the room.

He sighed taking the cigeratte out of his mouth. He slouched down, lightly tapping the cigeratte on his stomach.

" I can't even fucking chill because of _**HER!!!!! **_"

"First she accuses me of living in a dreamworld and now she takes away my drugs!" he banged his head against the bed mantle flicking the cigarette from his nimble fingers.

He winced, shutting his eyes and rocking his head, "Ahhh....this sucks so ..fucking much..."

_"...Maybe she's right?" _

Sesshomaru popped opened his eyes, "What? Now you're against me too?!"

_"You are talking to yourself."_

"So!?"

_"It's not normal."_

"Who says it has to be normal? I'm the crazy one remember, I can talk to myself if I want to! You're not the boss of me! And who are you to take sides anway!? You're supposed to be on mine!"

_"There you go contradicting yourself again." _

Sesshomaru glared upwards and his eye twitched. "Shutup you don't know what you're talking about. I'm gonna go smoke."

Sesshomaru got up and went to look for his cigeratte and lighter.

_"Sigh..."_

_~*~_

_**Today is a such a great day to be alive.....**_

"Today...is not a great day" Rin declared moments after she had just woken up. She felt it the second her yellow crusted eyelashes broke apart and her watery eyes gazed up at the sun rays swimming on the bedroom ceiling.

She frowned and closed her eyes. Rolling her head over to the right, she softly groaned, her hair was now in the state of a horrible kind of bed head, the kind that was matted, knotty, greasy flat and strands poking out everywhere due to the warm pillow static. Drowsily, she opened her eyes again, the blurryness began to phase just as her alarm clock flashed from 1:29 to 1:30.

She groaned deeper, closing her eyes and turned back to look up at the ceiling. She shut them again.

_' I hate sleeping in too late.' _

She sighed heavily throwing the blankets over her head.

"And yet...I'm too tired to get up."

Her stomach growled. But she ignored it.

It growled again. This time it made her wince.

_' Something is wrong....'_

"No...no, nothing is wrong" she assured herself even while her stomach's gurgling began to feel worse.

_' Like a hot bubbling pit of lava '_

"I'm fine! Everything is fine! I...I'm just..." she closed her eyes tighter while she felt her face and forhead with her shaking hand. She was getting hot, the air around her was getting warmer by the second. Her stomach felt like it was reversing inside out, while her heart thudded up into her eardrums.

Rin began to take fast inhales and exhales of breath as she slowly arched herself up. This change made her whole body tremble.

_' No __**it **__can't be happening....' _

_' Hospitals.....doctors.....surgeries....treatments........that smell....' _

"No! No..no..no..no...no...no!" Rin screeched rocking herself into a human ball knocking herself against the pillows.

_' That awful smell.....' _

_' Not normal................NOT NORMAL RIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ' _

Rin banged her head above the pillows against the bed mantle. She clutched her fists and bit her lip down.

_' People.....people stare at you.......tease you......talk about you' _

_"Rin! Rin! Has no friends..."_

_"Thin Rin can't eat 'cause she's got no friends!"_

_"She's skinnier than a tooth pick!"_

_"Eat Rin! Eat! Eat Rin! Eat!"_

She bit her lip harder. Her stomach was on the point of exploding. She shakily got out of bed and then _**it **_happened.

~*~

He slowly lifted his head up, gratefully exhaling smoke from out his nostrils. He then cracked the side of his neck and placed the cigeratte back in his mouth. Two seconds later his door banged wide open.

Sesshomaru jumped backwards almost swallowing his cigeratte. Cold blood rushed in his veins and his legs felt heavy as stone. He held his breath, watching her stagger inside.

"I want....to...." Rin heavily breathed, her whole head was pounding. Sesshomaru frowned staring at her stumble to one knee grasping the edge of the bed comforter with one hand.

Rin panted rolling her bright eyes to stare up into his. The gurgling in the deep bowles of her stomach began to boil and was going to rise.

_**' THIS IS IT RIN!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S COMING!!!!!!!!!!!! ' **_

"..join the Dream World....... " she bowed her head down, instantly vomiting.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened.

"Oh....no...oh shit! Oh no! No! Shit...fuuuck!" Sesshomaru slid off the other side of the bed.

"Rin get up! Oh shit come on get up!"

She remained hunched over. The horrible sound and stench was beginning to get to him. He exasperated at what he was about to do.

"Errgggghhh, shit! Come on!" he placed both his hands under her armpits and slid her up off the floor. As light as she looked she did have alittle weight on her.

"Come on!" he started shoving her towards the bathroom. Her legs dragged. Rin's eyes widened as her cheeks puffed.

"Bll-blehhhhghh.....!"

Instant vomit shot out of her mouth again.

"Aw man! Sick!" he began pushing her inside the bathroom faster.

He let her drop to the floor and lifted up the toilet seat. She gripped her hands to the toilet's edge and continued throwing up into it.

Sesshomaru stood up tall and ran both his hands through his hair.

"Please..behhhgghhh..don't..begh..tell my...parents!" she tried to voice inbetween her puking.

"WHAT THE FUCK RIN?!"

All he got in reply was more loud vomiting.

He couldn't take the smell anymore and ran out of the bathroom shutting the door. Disgusted, he turned back around to face the two piles of puke decomposing on the bedroom carpet.

He ran his hands through his hair again in frustration. "Oh shit! Oh shit! How the fuck I'm I supposed to get rid of this?! Thanks a fucking lot Rin!" he yelled through the bathroom door.

There was some more vomiting until she was able to faintly replied, "Outside...there's....a closet.."

Sesshomaru raised his eyebrow and ran out into the hallway. He opened every door until he found the one and only closet she was talking about. Inside he looked down and saw a big bag of kitty litter. The Kasama's did not own a cat.

~*~

Sesshomaru went over to his bed and picked up the cigeratte he had been smoking and threw it in his duffel bag under the bed. He also hid his lighter in there as well.

He stood at the closed bathroom door. It had finally been quiet for a few minutes since he heard last. He sighed.

Cautiously he turned the knob and opened the door halfway, "...Rin?"

He saw her body move alittle and proceeded in. He sniffed and grimaced at the sight of her. She was slumped on the side of the toilet bowl while the rest of her body limply laid on the floor. Her face was red and sweaty. Snot and drool seeped from her nose and lips. Her long black hair was a tangled mess, strands of it sticky with vomit.

She sniffed her wet nose and stared all bright eyed up at him. He held her gaze and then plugged his nose and went over to flush the toilet.

He looked again at her and then immediately looked away.

_' I had no idea what to say. ' _

"You didn't tell my parents did you?" Rin hoarsely pleaded. Her eyes sparkled with fear.

Sesshomaru still with his head turned away from her, shook his head.

Rin looked down and drew a huge sigh of relief. But surely they or Danny would have heard her? She was feeling almost like her old self, but the thought came quick to her that if one of her parents wasn't home than most likely one was nearby. And if one of them found her like this....

She shot her eyes up at Sesshomaru. "Get out."

"What!?" he exclaimed flabbergasted.

"I need to take a bath" she nonchalantly answered and stood up.

"Wait a fucking minute Rin-"

"Sesshomaru! If you don't want to see me undress then get out! I need to take a bath right now!" she hollered angerly. She then swirved around.

Sesshomaru was about to cram a few good choice words down her annoying little throat until he saw she wasn't bluffing. She was about to lift up her night t-shirt. The thought of seeing her naked sickened him even more than her barf and ran the hell out of there.

~*~

Sesshomaru sat up against the wall near the closed bedroom door. He was finally able to calm himself down a bit and while he waited for Rin, he contemplated.

_' Was that for real? Did she really do that? ' _

He sighed the two kitty littered spots on the carpet were evidence enough for him. At least the smell was almost gone. But there was another thing bothering him.

Sesshomaru frowned looking towards the shut bathroom door. The sounds of the shower and water splashing could be heard. He could even smell the steam arising from the hot water. Lifting up his injured arm he traced his stitches up and down with his finger.

"Join the Dream World?" he whispered.

"She's the one that ridiculed me about it and now all of a sudden she wants in?!"

_" Why not? What's the worst that could happen? " _

"Alot! That's what. And of all the people in the world why did it have to be _her_? Why did this happen to be the place _she_ lived at that I get stuck with, why does _she_ have to be the one to look after me, why did _she_ have to come barging in here and spew her fucking guts out and asked **me **to keep it a secret, and why all of a sudden now she decides to change her mind?!"

_" You do have a point. It is really strange ."_

"Exactly! But why...unless..unless she wants something! That has to be it! She probably made herself throw up thinking I'd feel bad for her! Well I maybe crazy but I ain't stupid."

_" No...."_

Sesshomaru sighed in aggravation at _his_ disagreement. Whatever anyway he already came to a conclusion.

~*~

"No" Sesshomaru flat out replied to Rin the second she walked back into his bedroom fully clothed and hair brushed.

Immediately she frowned, "Sesshomaru please-"

"No" he boldly cut her off.

"But-"

"No. I said no. Get it?" he bitterly replied annoyed with her persistence.

"Why?! Why then can't I see the Dream World?" Rin moaned, her body swayed tense and anxious.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and approached her. "Why?"

Rin bit her lip and nodded. He loomed over her just by a few tall inches.

"Why were you all before ' oh Sesshomaru your problem is you live in a Dream World and it's all bad, blah, blah ' that stupid bullshit and now a week later you're asking me to let you join as if it's some top secret club!"

Rin sighed, "Look I'm sorry okay? That day you just made me really angry and I lost my temper."

She abruptly looked down, toyed with her fingers, and then stared back up to him.

"But I never said it was bad."

Sesshomaru glared at her. Rin immediatley tensed up.

"Really!"

"You said it was problem, usually when someone calls something a problem, it's bad" he turned away from her and looked in the direction of the two piles of kitty litter. He then remembered something.

"Did you make yourself throw up?" he softly asked turning back to her.

Rin's face scrunched up and her hand had clenched into a hard fist. She shakily drew it behind her back.

"No" she replied through a tight jaw.

_' I didn't think so.....' _

Sesshomaru looked away again and pondered.

Rin huffed angerly, "You still believe I'm anorexic and bulimic don't you?'

He shrugged cooly, "Yea probably. I mean you are really skinny and you did throw up in school."

Rin clenched her teeth and a glazed anger flamed in her eyes. She swung her head stamping her foot.

"DAMMIT!"

Sesshomaru's eyes widened as he looked down at the girl. Her black hair hid her eyes.

"Don't you get it...?" she whispered to herself.

He raised his eyebrow wondering what she had meant. Before he could ask she rose her head up. Her eyes bold in their stare yet at the sametime weary.

"Look I didn't come to talk to you about this. I came to talk about the Dream World."

Sesshomaru returned to his usual disposition. "There's nothing to talk about."

"There's tons to talk about! Sesshomaru please......!" Rin shook her hands up placed together like a prayer.

"I need this. I want to know what you see. I want to see. I need this alot. I need this now."

_' By now I was so disgusted with you, you sounded so greedy, so annoying....' _

"Why!? I don't get it! Why do you need this so fucking badly?!" he growled, gritting his teeth.

Rin thought for a moment and sighed. Suddenly she grinned. A mad sort of grin.

"Because...."

Sesshomaru stared questionably at her.

"Because you...I've seen it happen to you, and when..you're in the Dream World, you...you look so....happy."

He widened his eyes. Her eyes so deeply yearned. He could tell.

_' I'll never forget that smile.' _

Feeling hazy, he blinked, and took a step back. "Um, when have you ever seen me when I..."

Rin tilted her head slightly and pointed to his stitched arm.

Sesshomaru shook his head, closing his eyes and placed his hand against his head. "That wasn't a dream....that was a nightmare."

"I've also seen it happen to you in school."

Immediately he lifted his hand and stared at her.

She nodded. "Only a few times though. I remember the first time I saw "it"happen to you it was during P.E. You stopped running in the field while everyone else played soccer. You looked mad but then you looked up at the sky and then suddenly you smiled like everything was okay now and you lifted your arms up like this" Rin demonstrated. "I admit I thought it was strange at kept like that for a long time till Bobby kicked the soccerball at your head."

_' P. E...I remember that. I was real depressed that day. I didn't want to play soccer, it was stupid. I wanted something to take me away. That's when I saw the big balloon waiting for me. That's why my arms were in the air, I was holding onto the balloon string as it took me up and away. You never got to play P.E. you always got to sit on the bleachers or go to the library. I was jealous, I dreaded P.E. But come to think of it you were never around for recess either.' _

" But then the second and third time I saw you when "it" happened I became curious. Everyone at school knew something was wrong with you but nobody knew exactly what it was. They all thought you were just really spacey and zoned out from time to time. But I knew there was more to it than that. You really did see the things that you dreamed. I could tell it was different than a normal day dream. I just remember all three times you were so happy, so undeniabley happy. Sesshomaru I want to see the dreams you live and see. I want that happiness too."

Sesshomaru frowned at all that she was pouring out to him. He just couldn't believe it even though he heard every word of it. He flipped his hand through his bangs. He always tried so hard for "it" not to happen during school and if it did he would make sure to hide it.

"Sesshomaru?"

"Um..hold on Rin I uh need to sit down...." Sesshomaru walked towards the bed and sat on the edge. Rin followed.

"So?"

He rolled his eyes annoyed at her persistence.

"Look...Rin I still don't get you. You want to be....happy?"

Eagerly, she nodded. He stared at her in disbelief.

"You seemed pretty happy before when you shoved that toy gun in my face and threw those poppers at me and....."

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry for all those things I did to you! Please Sesshomaru! Please!"

"Shut up Rin!" he barked and she instantly went silent. He was now on his last nerve with her. He huffed trying alittle to relax. She lowly frowned like a punished dog as he started to speak.

"Look this isn't some game alright! This is something I live, something only I can see, AND if-"

She peered her eyes up into his.

"If I actually did want you, which I still don't by the way, to see I wouldn't even know if it would work. I don't know how! It's not something I ask to happen, it.. just happens! So for the final and last time Rin the answer is no. Okay! N-O. No! So just leave me alone..."

Crestfallen, Rin lowered her eyes back down.

_' Oh great she isn't going to cry now is she....'_ Sesshomaru groaned inwardly hearing her nose sniffle alittle while he placed his head phones over his ears.

He looked over once he saw her lift her head back up. Incredibly she did not even shed a tear but still held a heavy frown. Quietly she walked out of the bedroom. Sesshomaru pressed play on his cd player and got comfortable in his position fully content now that was over with. He closed his eyes only to open them up again a minute later to see Rin appear with a broom and a dustpan. She did not return his gaze and passed by.

"What are you doing?" he questioned looking towards her.

"You did not tell my parents, it's the least I can do" she replied while setting the broom down.

"Oh" was all he could say and leaned his head back down again. He tapped his hand against his leg and softly nodded his head to the music. With in the next minute the song had finished and a slower song began to play.

Sesshomaru gazed his eyes over to the left and watched the warm sunlight dance on the carpet through the window he had jumped out of. He turned over onto his left side and brushed long strands of hair behind his ear.

"Hey Rin?"

"Yea?" she asked not looking up preoccupied with her sweeping.

He paused wondering whether he should ask. Fuck it.

"What did make you throw up?"

She frowned not too surprised that he asked but alittle that it was coming from Sesshomaru after all and considering he still like everyone else at school believed she had an eatting disorder. She stopped and held onto the broom stick like a lifesaver for a moment. She then fluttered her eyes, with a sappy smile and continued sweeping.

"I woke up alittle late this morning and missed breakfast so...I just ate some leftovers in the fridge. I probably should have checked how long they've been in there. So it was food poisoning. Sorry I should have told you eariler..."

"Hmm..." he mumbled with a bit of a nod and slowly closed his eyes.

**Hey yea it's been a loooooooong time, I know! I'm a freshmen in college now! Anyway I said my updates will be spontaneous so I hope no one has given up on this story because I'm sure as heck not. I would also like to note that when Sesshomaru says Rin wasn't around when it was recess he doesn't mean gradeschool. I don't know about you but when I was middle school I had recess and PE so I'm making them have it too. And Sesshomaru only met Rin in middleschool she never went to his gradeschool. I also wanna note that during the last scene because I don't think I wrote it too well to imply it I just wanna get it out there that while Sesshomaru is gazing at the sunlight and the window and I say he turns over I mean he turns over to that side. So when he's speaking to Rin he's not looking at her or turned over to face her to talk to her. I just wanted to get that out there =) Thankyou so much for the reviews I hope you really enjoy this chapter! And get excited for the next! Review please!!!!!!!!!**

**Love,**  
**Vinyl_Mono  
**


	12. The Deal

The next few days had gone by smoothly enough. Kasama noted that Sesshomaru had been getting the hang of the farm and familiar with most of the labor, his "outbreaks" had ceased for the time being, this partly due because of his medication, but the dog demon was still anti-social and quiet as ever.

Sesshomaru though, had noticed the change in himself as well. He listened. By Lord, he! He actually listened! He worked! Worked as hard as he could make possible with one arm. He was falling asleep more easily without any late night wake ups. And he, _he _did not have one complaint to say nor a grudge to carry. It was an....odd feeling. He wasn't happy. He knew he wasn't happy. He wasn't depressed either. No, it was something else entirely. In his own mind he pictured it as a white puffy cloud that constantly hovered over his head and rained. It poured. He was _swimming_.

He had never felt such a radiating tranquilness or serenity more overwhelming than any daydream he had ever encountered before.

And yet it all felt so familiar.

So vastly familiar.

But he could not pin point the time in his life when....

They were buried deep in the back of his mind, to be forgotten.

He was so calm that not even his paranoia stirred to question. But sometimes it did lead him to wonder. And the world around him while he was sedated with this tranquility was so lucid, it was as if he alone was the real living being on this Earth who thought and felt like this and everyone else still had not opened their eyes.

Sesshomaru stood up to crack his back. He sighed breathing in the wonderful fresh North Carolina air. The fiery sun a blazed the blueness of the sky. The mountains beamed in the sun's radiantness, the tallest peaks consumed in a fog of white clouds and grey smoke. A red tailed hawk immediately cawed, gliding just over head. His eyes then wandered over to his 'constant guardian', Rin. She was under the shade of a tree, sitting on a yellow blanket just only a few feet away from him, innocently enough painting her toenails. He had noticed the change in her too. It was only after that chaotic day was she now different. She no longer bothered him while he worked, preoccupying herself with some other interest and since then had not brought up the subject of the Dream World to him.

_' She dresses like a hippie ' _he randomly thought noticing her thrifty wardrobe.

She wore her hair in braids alot and that's what made it so curly. Her hair was actually, naturally straight and wavy. She wasn't in a braids mood today. And unlike most girls her age who began the womanly ritual of trying on make up, she wore none. Sesshomaru had never stepped foot in her bedroom since he moved in but he automatically knew she owned an incense burner. Her earthy scent reeked of sandalwood.

Rin bent forward and with her finger tried to scratch off a bit of dark blue nail polish she had accidently dabbed on the skin of one of her toes.

Her pale skin was beginning to lighten into a tan. But she was still reguarly thin. He had regularly began eatting meals with the family as promised but made no effort in trying to get to know any of them. He was getting used to Mr. Kasama as being a minor annoyance. Rin's older brother, Danny, he could not stand. He _hated_ him. When Danny was in his presence it still greatly bothered him but he kept that to himself.

Rin sighed putting the polish brush back into the tiny bottle. She rose alittle to straighten up from her uncomfortable posture. She raised her arms up and stretched, her back cracked, while she opened her mouth in a loud yawn. She blinked and turned her eyes across to the dog demon.

"Get back to work."

Sesshomaru nodded, in slight surprise. Most humans quite commonly, mistakenly, would shout at a demon whenever far apart. No need though, a demon could perfectly hear you no matter the length of the distance between. He turned back around and continued working in the Kasama's large crop fields.

_' It's strange.' _

_"What is?"_

_' Rin.' _

_"Oh?"_

_' Yea. My relation- erm I mean my... acquaintance with her is becoming the "social norm". We've spoken! Hell! We've actually spoken to each other! Well not literally in a conversational sense but-'_

_"In what sense, then?" _

_' Lately she's the one I've talked to the most! Sometimes during dinner she'll ask me if I "want anything" or to "please pass this." Preferably I choose to keep the distance farther between me and her and them and just nod or shake my head. But lately I've been letting a yes or no slip out. On Tuesday while I was on my lunch break from working, she came up to me and handed me a water bottle. __**I fucking...thanked her!**__ And then she sat down __**right next to me **__and started eatting her own lunch! It's just been awkward as hell around her! ' _

_"....."_

_' OH! And worst of all happened yesterday! After I got back from the farm I went into their basement to watch TV by myself. I laid on the couch and within the next minute __**she **__came down the stairs with a bowl of popcorn and sat on the carpet. She would say comments about what we were watching. I just ignored her and then out of the fucking blue she asks me what my favorite color is! What the hell?! My favorite color?! As to why she so much cared irked me bad enough that I told her I didn't know and that I don't have one. I then shut my mouth not wanting to get into anymore detail with her about how having a favorite color is stupid and pointless. She only nodded and then we watched commercials. When the show did come back on she offered me some popcorn. My immediate thought was no but dinner wasn't for another hour and I was hungry. __**I fucking shared popcorn with her!!! **__' _

_"That's not too bad is it?" _

_' Yea...yea it is.__It's just weird the way she's been acting.'_

_"How's she been acting?" _

_' I already told yea! She's acting like nothing's happened. Like there's no hatred between us! '_

_"Don't you want it that way? After all she isn't bothering you anymore with poppers and pictures-"_

_' It doesn't matter if she treats me like a devil or a saint. She constantly hangs around me and just watches me! ' _

_"But isn't that what you wanted? No helping or interaction of any what so ever. "_

_' Yes but I didn't want someone looking after me in the first place anyway! I have absolutely no privacy now! She even stands outside my bedroom door sometimes! It's enough to make me want to blow my brains out! ' _

_"Why does she do that?"_

_' I don't know. But I guess it's so I don't run away or something happen to me. ' _

_"You should try. You're alone now. You could easily out run her."_

Sesshomaru stopped and scanned the area. He sniffed the air.

Mr. Kasama was on his tractor on another side of the ranch and doing whatever chores needed to be done there. But he was close, he was always near.

He sighed and shook his head of the wild idea.

_' No.' _

_"No!? Why not? This isn't like you..."_

_' Look I've already been through this....' _Sesshomaru turned his head alittle and peered at was on her stomach, dark blue painted toes up in the air. She turned the page of the book she was reading.

He bit his lip. His muscles tightened as sweat teared down his temples. Before Rin could even notice he was staring, he turned his head forward and continued working.

_' It's tempting....__**very**__...tempting. But as much as I hate it here and believe me I gladly would love to run away..I...can't. I can't do it. They'll find me and catch me and put me away. They won't take me to juvy. They'll bring me back __**there**__ '_ Sesshomaru's eyes became pensive and dark.

_' That __**place**__.....'_ he shut his eyes and shook, as sudden chills goose bumped up his spine.

_' I can't risk it. I can't go back __**there**__. I will never go back to that __**place**__ again. ' _

_"Hmmmm...."_

_' Besides it's not like I'm truly alone with her. Her dad's not too far off and comes by every hour or so to check up on us. Or her mom or once in while her damn brother 're just always right around the corner. ' _

He paused.

_' Huh...I wonder if that bothers her? ' _

_"Wonder what bothers her?" _

_' Her are always so.. over protective of her. They treat her like a child almost. Giving her extra help when she doesn't really need it and checking up on her, making sure she's alright even if they've only been away from her for only ten minutes. I don't know...it's just stuff I've been noticing around here.... ' _

_"Looks like you two are in the same boat." _

_' What? ' _

"Mom!"

His heart skipped a beat. Sesshomaru blinked and swirved around. Mrs. Kasama had pulled in and appeared out of one of their toyota pick up trucks. Colonel and Rascal jumped out of the back of the truck, barking. Mrs. Kasama happily smiled, her red curls bouncing as she approached Rin.

She hugged Rin as the dogs gathered beside them wagging their tails.

"How are you?" she kissed Rin's forehead and thumbed at her cheek.

"Good" Rin mechanically answered with a pep nod.

"Are you sure? You feel alittle warm."

Rin sighed with a slight roll of her eyes, "_Yes_ mom. It's hot out of course I'm going to feel warm."

"Alright, alright. " Her mother softly grinned, " I brought you something."

"Freeze pops! Thanks!" Rin happily exclaimed taking the frozen treats from her mother's hand.

She laughed, " You're welcome. I came by to tell you I'm going into town right now to run some errands so dinner might start alittle late tonight. Tell your father whenever you get the chance alright?"

"Okay."

"Bye, I love you" Mrs. Kasama bear hugged Rin.

"I love you too."

She then let go, turned around, stopped and pivoted back to Rin.

"Oh and Rin the other freeze pop is for Sesshomaru if he wants it."

" 'Kay."

Mrs. Kasama smiled and looked over to Sesshomaru.

He stood still, gulping down the noise caught in the back of his throat.

"Hello Sesshomaru! " she grinned waving at him. "You're doing a great job! Keep it up!" she gave him a thumbs up.

The corners of his mouth twitched, he bit down on his bottom lip so it wouldn't lift up.

_She was shouting_.

Sheepishly, he nodded at her compliment. She smiled back nodding as well and turned back towards the pickup truck, the dogs bounding along side her.

Once she stopped looking at him, Sesshomaru heavily exhaled.

_"....And what do you think of Mrs. Kasama?"_

_' It's......complicated... ' _ he slightly frowned brushing long silver strands of hair behind his ear.

"Hey."

Sesshomaru blinked, knocked out of his daze, and looked up to an approaching Rin. She held a stare of curiosity.

"...What?" he irritably asked.

She blinked with a slight turn of the head, "Oh..nothing! Here...You probably already heard my mom, she gave us these to eat. Which one do you want?"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow and eyed the dripping ice pops in her hand.

"They're not poisoned."

He looked at her caught off guard. She immediately grinned, chuckling.

"I know that" he gruffly replied at her amused expression. He looked at the freezepops again and took one.

"So is blue your favorite color?" she suddenly asked.

Sesshomaru stared at her strangely while tearing the plastic wrap open with his sharp teeth.

"..No I told you I don't have a favorite color" he answered biting into the freezepop. He sucked on the ice's sweet blue rasberry juices.

"But you did pick the blue one over the red one. So you prefered the color blue over the color red" she retorted ripping the cherry freezepop plastic open with her fingers. She pushed the freezepop up and bit into it.

Sesshomaru grew defensive. "Or I chose what I chose without any thought put behind it. What's your point Rin?"

She bit into her freeze pop and shrugged. "No point. Just curious is all."

She stared at him one last time and walked away back to her yellow blanket under the tree.

With her back turned on him, Sesshomaru began to lowly growl.

_' You see! Do you __**SEEEEEE?! **__' _

_"Yes I see."_

_' She is fucking torturing me! ' _

_"You're acting irrational. She is only trying to get to know you."_

_' Exactly! I don't want anything to do with her! But right now I'm stuck with her.....geez this is going to haunt me for the rest of my fucking life....well if I ever do live that long....why oh why did I not listen to Koga?! ' _

Koga's wariness about entering into the Kasama's cemetery crossed his mind. And then Kevin's smiling, freckled face. Sesshomaru frowned, looking down while he worked.

_' I wonder how they're doing.... ' _

~*~

Sesshomaru leaned back on the cushions of the truck's backseat, letting the instant breeze cool the sweat beaming on his face and shirt. He was sore, smelled, and utterly exhausted. It was evening and they were driving back home. The truck's window was still broken, Kasama was in the process of getting it fixed. But for now he just kept the other window down and didn't use the air conditioning. He softly sighed, arching his neck while sweat drenched strands of his hair wisped at his face and neck. Instinctively and unawarely, he parted his lips open, exposing his tongue and canines.

"_Hea....Hea...Hea...Hea...Hea...._"

Rin arched her eyebrow at the sudden strange and familiar noise. Her eyes widened at the rear view mirror and she whipped her head around. She madly grinned at him.

"Sesshomaru are _**you**_....?!"

He immediately stopped, shutting his mouth, realizing just what exactly he was doing. She was on the verge of laughter.

"What's the matter? Rin?" Kasama asked taking a glance at her and then back infront of him. She turned back to her dad.

"He-"

"I--I was panting... That's all" Sesshomaru admitted in a low tone of voice. Rin laughed under her hand. His warm face flushed a rosy red and immediately looked down. He did not normally do this in the presence of humans.

"Panting? Like a dog!" Kasama exclaimed with a grin that matched Rin's.

_' Well....I am a __**DOG**__ demon! ' _

Sesshomaru winced, closing his eyes. He wanted nothing more then to sink down into the bottomless pit of the ocean.

"Yes...like a dog."

Kasama maintained a smile to hold back his laughter. He was fully aware the kid was embarrassed. Rin wasn't as modest and continued to giggle until she could no more.

_' I couldn't help it....' _ he thought shamefully to himself. Lethargically he dropped his head back against the seat. He opened his eyes and tilted his head over to his right. Through the window he could see the cemetery was not too far up ahead. He looked out as they encroached closer near the approach of the cemetary and started to pass the tombstones. A burning question he also couldn't help seeped into his brain.

"Hey, uh.."

"Yes Sesshomaru?" Kasama replied, half smiling.

"I've been working on your farm for awhile now...and I know.. I already asked you this before but uh.. I was wondering... when am I suppose to work in the cemetary...since...ya know..." he asked and looked over to Kasama.

"Shessh....what is it with you kids and graveyards? Well in a few days I'm having some people come and install a fence and gate around the cemetery so no more kids like you get in it."

Sesshomaru smugly rolled his eyes. _' Oh... yea that's really going to stop them. I think holding them against their will and making them work on your farm was your best idea yet.....' _

"Once that fence and gate is built I'm just going to have you paint it and put in the new tombstones to replace the old ones. Rin do you mind giving Sesshomaru a hand with that?"

She shook her head, "Not at all."

_' Wonderful........'_ he rolled his eyes again, slouching.

Soon they arrived home. Rin pulled her seat down and Sesshomaru crawled out of the truck. As he jumped out he heard something running fast towards them.

He smelled the air and froze stiff.

"Ah!"

"Licorice! Teddy!" Rin looked down while shutting the passenger door. The two dogs had jumped and knocked Sesshomaru to the ground. They were on top of him licking his face. He was in no mood.

**"GRRRR......" **

Licorice and Teddy immediately stopped and lowered themselves. He had displayed his dominance. They walked away with their tails between their legs. Rin curiously stared from the dogs to Sesshomaru.

"Damn dogs...." Sesshomaru angerly stood up brushing himself off. The blood red color that had previously shown in his eyes was now evaporating and had returned back to normal.

"But..Sesshomaru you're a-"

He glared at her. "I know. But that doesn't mean I have to like ' dogs ' . We're related and my blood attracts them. Dogs gather around me, smell me, jump me, even try to bathe me! It's a fuckin' pain."

Rin raised her eyebrow at him, "I swear Sesshomaru....sometimes you act more cat than dog."

He grimaced at her as she walked on ahead of him.

" _' I swear Sesshomaru sometimes you act more cat than dog ' _...ECKK!" he quietly mocked to himself, making fun of her voice.

"Hey come on.." Rin called already at the kitchen door. He stopped fooling around and began walking.

"Errg...." he groaned with a roll of his eyes as Liorice and Teddy happily returned to his side and followed beside him.

~*~

Sesshomaru yawned for the hundredth time. He tried to keep his droopy eyes open and awake. It was a crisp Carolina morning, the sun had been poking in and out of the misty morning clouds. When he yawned again he gave up, leaned on his right side facing towards a window, and closed his eyes.

"Oh just in case you're wondering Rin will be meeting us shortly when we get there."

Sesshomaru frowned, opening one eye at Kasama and closed it again, he shifted alittle in his seat.

_' I'd rather she not...' _

~*~

For a couple of hours Sesshomaru worked on the daily morning chores. By afternoon, he was on his break, Kasama approached him and told him after his break he had a special task for him to do.

"This was his little 'special task'! This is ridiculous!" he groaned placing his tired arm down. With his other hand he grabbed the end of his shirt and rubbed it on his hot, sweaty face.

Kasama had instructed Sesshomaru to repair an old broken fence of his in the middle of an open field. All he had to do was hammer and nail some boards together on the fence posts. What he didn't mention was that the fence stretched for miles and that there were numerous parts of the fence that needed fixing.

He sniffed, blinking his eyes down left where the fence continued to go until it was nothing more than a tiny speck in the distance. Sweat soaked his forehead and face dripping off the tip of his nose. In the distance heat waves could clearly be seen, rippling the air.

"I'm going to die of heat stroke out here...." he grumbled and then suddenly smirked. He peered out of the corner of his eye towards a tree where Rin was sitting under. She had decided to bike from home instead of taking a ride in the truck. His smirk grew wider, she was not looking at him, in fact, oddly enough, her back was completely turned on him. He saw this as Opportunity.

He straightened up and exhaled a deep breath.

~*~

"You know the less work you do today, only gives you more to do tomorrow" Rin dully reminded him. She knew Sesshomaru was still there, he was just being stubborn and not working.

_' Like a little kid...' _she absent mindly thought while flipping through the pages in a magazine.

Sesshomaru sighed, opening his eyes. Dry yellow blades of grass crinkled under him. He stared up at the bright blue sky, three black turkey vultures were circling above him. They cawed for more to come. He closed his eyes again and kept still trying not to make a movement or sound.

_' I've been lying here for a while now. What the hell?! Isn't she going to come to my rescue like always? It's hot as Hell out! I want to go back in the house where it's cool and go to bed. I've been so tired lately...' _

He opened and squinted his eyes just as a few clouds drifted over head, blocking the sun. He rolled his eyes over and saw she still had not moved from her spot, nor had she at least once taken a glance at him.

_' Dammit! ' _he lowly growled and stared back up at the sky. He resisted the urge to move.

_' Now how the hell I'm I supposed to get her attention!? I can't move! Agh...I'll just have to remain dead until she starts to worry. One of those vultures better fucking come down soon! '_

Just as he was about to close his eyes again, he heard something.

"Huh?" Sesshomaru raised his eyebrow just as his ear flicked in Rin's direction. The sound was sweet and vibrant. First it hummed and then it started to become broken up in deep low keys to shrill high keys. And then it was just all different bits of noise. Then it stopped.

Immediately he sat up and listened again forgetting all about his idea. The noise played again. His elfish like demon ears flicked and his eyes brightened in curiousity. She was holding something in her lap and he was sure he knew exactly what it was.

Dark clouds appeared in the distance, snaking it's blackness into the blue. A warm breeze blew shaking the tree branches. A small, yellow, butterfly landed on a fence post a few feet infront of where Sesshomaru sat. It flexed it's wings and hopped alittle upon the post. Normally he would have been aware of all these things happening around him but all of his senses now were sharply intuned to the sounds coming from Rin. It enthralled him, he had to know, he just had to _know._

The butterfly stopped and rested, slowly flexing it's wings again.

Hypnotized, he stood up and walked towards her leaving his mind behind him.

The small, yellow, butterfly fluttered away.

He stopped only a couple feet from her, watching her. She still did not turn around, tinkering with the bulky object in her hands. He closed his eyes, listening to her play. But then she stopped and heavily sighed. She bent over and frustratedly flipped through the magazine. She stopped on a page and began reading. She looked over what she had read and back at the object she was holding and gingerly placed her fingers on the object's neck and played again while looking at the magazine.

"You're doing it wrong."

"Huh!?" Rin immediatly froze and swung around, her braids swinging behind her. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open.

He frowned, staring at the most beautiful looking thing he had ever seen in his young entire life. Close in her arms, Rin held a 38 inch, Fender, acoustic guitar.

Black paint on the front and back faces of the guitar merged with the paint of the deep, dark, navy blue. It had a long black neck with nineteen frets and six brass strings. Painted around the sound hole was a dusty chestnut colored ring. Elaborately decorated inside the ring were tiny garnet and yellow flowers, little white "woodstock" doves, and one silver sickle-shaped moon.

He continued to stare at the acoustic and took in a long wiff. It was carved from rosewood. It smelled rich and heavenly. His lips twitched and he felt himself almost choking on something in the back of his throat.

Rin arched her eyebrow and looked at him strangely. He was very deep in thought or thoughts. She frowned, wondering whether she should intervene.

_' He look's sad. Like I broke his heart or something ' _she thought and almost laughed at the idea of it.

After a few mintues passed she swallowed in a bit of courage.

"Um....Sess-" she stopped mid sentence once caught by his icy glare. He raised his eyebrows, blinking a couple of times, looking lost. He glanced back and forth and then back at Rin. She stared straight into his eyes, she looked alittle nervous, he smelled fear in her easy breath. He cocked his eyebrow at her and loudly sniffed.

"You're doing it wrong" he gruffly repeated.

Puzzled, she looked down. Her face brightened up in surpise as she looked back up to him.

"You know how to play the guitar?" she grinned, squinting her eyes. He could tell she was very much intrigued and surprised.

"Yea...I know" he replied with a nod of his head, keeping his eyes downward at her guitar.

The sky began to grow more darker now as another warm breeze blew alerting the trees and everything around that a storm was brewing. Sesshomaru's long hair and Rin's braids were tossed with the wind. Low thunder rumbled near the mountains.

"So......" Rin began to strum a few strings. "What I'm I doing wrong?" she looked up at him.

"Well first off... that's not how you hold the pick" he corrected pointing at her fingers.

Embarassed, she bit her bottom lip and stopped strumming the guitar.

"Here lemme see it, " he approached her and grabbed the pick. Instead of holding it with his finger tips like she was, he held the pick in place with his thumb and held it with only two fingers. He showed it to her infront of her face.

"Oh.." she twitched her mouth and averted her eyes.

"Also you're not even holding the guitar the right way."

She immediatly looked down moving it around in her hands. "I am?"

He looked at her seriously, "How long have you been playing this?"

She sheepishly looked up at him as she thought back. "Well...I've had this guitar for about a year now but I only just started really practicing it right around when school ended."

He gave her a "no wonder" look.

"Hey! It's never too late to learn something new" she retorted with a smile.

He thought about this for a second.

"Yea...well you're going to need a lot of practice. What is that? A Rolling Stone?"

She blinked at him and looked over to the magazine she had laying open.

"Oh yea, it is" she handed him the magazine. "I was trying to learn how to play a song. But I'm not very good at it, reading the music I mean."

He frowned at her once looking up from the magazine. He looked at her like she had to be kidding.

"What?" she shifted alittle uncomfortable.

"**You're** a fan of Slayer?"

"Huh? Oh! Oh no! It's my brother's magazine, I found it in his room it was the only thing I could find with sheet music in it."

"And damn! How old is this thing?" he asked turning the magazine upside down and flipping through the pages.

Rin laughed, "It's from the eighties."

"Yea, no kidding! Do yourself a favor, buy yourself a more recent copy. Not saying the eighties didn't have some kick-ass stuff but playing heavy metal on an acoustic just sounds shitty. But you should practice some basic notes first and get a better handling with your guitar before trying to learn a whole song."

She smiled up at him as he handed her back the magazine after glancing through it some more.

"Hmm I'll have to get on that."

He frowned at her big grin and knew exactly why so he looked away.

_' What I'm I doing?! ' _

_"Blame it on the guitar....." _

"Yea well....."

"Sesshomaru?"

_' Do not answer her! ' _

He glanced at her, she looked alittle more serious now.

"Yes?"

_' Damn! ' _

"When did you first start playing guitar?"

"I..." he paused as a frowned crossed his features.

_' Music... I remember hearing music. ' _

_' Another demon boy...burnt orange hair...playing guitar.' _

"I was in the hallway...."

"What?" Rin asked bewildered.

He stopped as she disrupted his thoughts. He shook his head fully aware he just blanked out again.

"I mean I..I've been playing for a real long time! A lot longer than you!"

She narrowed her eyes but did not feel like fighting, "Okay...show me."

"Show you?" he questioned as she held the acoustic out for him to take.

"Show me how to play."

_' Those damn eyes of hers...' _he grimaced at her signature bold stare and then looked at the black and blue guitar. He swallowed down a gulp. He almost reached out, the guitar it was so tempting. "It" called out to him. But there was a weight on his shoulders crushing his arms from lifting. He took a step back and slowly shook his head, swaying his silver bangs.

"I...I can't."

The sky was now completely overcast. Birds scattered into the boughs of tree tops. Thunder rolled, louder this time.

"What?!" she immediately stood up. "You just said-"

"I can't do it! I haven't played since...since..._**damn! **_I don't even remember how long! I just remember playing guitar when I was a little kid and then stopping when I was _still_ a little kid!"

His own heart ached at this and he bent over for air to calm down his constricted breath.

Rin watched him, patiently. "Look you said you can play and I believe you. Just because you haven't played since you were young doesn't entirely mean you had to have forgotten everything. You've already given me some good beginning tips."

He deeply exhaled, still bent over on his knees, looking down at the ground. "Teaching and performing are two different things."

She almost groaned but kept cool if not just a bit ancy. "All I'm saying is to at least try."

His breathing slowed and he rolled his eyes at her. She raised her arm up that held the guitar's neck in her hand.

"Just _try_. Play with the strings, maybe you'll remember something."

He sighed, unsurely frowning at her and then at the guitar. He shot his eyes back to her once she spoke.

"It's either this or..." she hitched her thumb over toward the unfinished fence.

He rolled his eyes down back to the ground. He almost wanted to laugh but only shook his head. She had him cornered.

"Fuck! Alright!" he exclaimed springing back up.

~*~

_We sat together under the large oak tree. Holding that guitar felt even more beautiful than it looked. _

Sesshomaru sat cross legged, holding the guitar in his lap. The acoustic's neck reached over infront of Rin who was poked up on her knees, watching him with full attention and curious eyes. He didn't begin playing, but first let his nimble fingers trace over the smooth black and blue painted rosewood. At the very touch he felt a kinetic energy building up inside his fingertips. With his other hand he rubbed up the neck to the acoustic's head and felt the tuning pegs. Not really thinking about it, he twisted two of the pegs and then with the same hand pressed his fingers firmly against the strings on the frets. The strings felt like they could cut him if he pressed hard enough. He frowned placing his other hand over the sound hole now. Closing his eyes, he inhaled and then exhaled. He opened his eyes and rose his fingertips holding the pick.

Rin gripped her fists over her knees just as he placed the pick over the strings.

He flicked the pick and long, sweet, and almost mournful strums vibrated. He kept his head low, and began testing the chords on the neck. He seemed to be somewhere else now as his playing started to take off on it's own.

_' I knew he would remember something. Gosh, and he plays so good! ' _ Rin watched him and started to smile. Suddenly a sparkle glinted off near his hand pressing on the frets causing her to double take.

_' Huh? What was that? ' _ she frowned, looking at the acoustic's neck. The sparkle had disappeared, reappeared, and then disappeared again.

Sesshomaru picked the acoustic up a little in his lap, the neck was now raised higher. Rin stared at him in wonder. He started strumming faster and more harsher. And the faster he played the more louder the sound became.

"What...what's going on?" she whispered and then gasped as Sesshomaru moved his arm up and down faster on the guitar neck. The sparkle appeared again except this time there was more than one. The acoustic's brass strings had turned silver! And not only that but the neck had completely transformed too! No longer was it made of black wood but a glossy off white and the acoustic's head was now a different shape with the now silver tuning pegs on only the left side of it. She gaped her mouth open and what felt like an explosion shot through her skull.

Still in shock, her eyes trailed down the neck of the guitar. By the time they did she wished she hadn't look. The color drained from her face and her pupils grew small as her eyes opened bigger. Her arms trembled, she lifted her shaking hands to her face. Her guitar was now a bright red electric guitar. It wasn't even hers anymore.

_' How did that get here?! '_

A long black wire at the electric guitar's base snaked into a small black amp. Sesshomaru rocked the red electric harder without even a second thought. A blast of music boomed out of the amp causing the ground beneath to quake. Rin tightly shut her eyes and smacked her hands against her ears at the deafening volume, the entire world around her now was spinning like a wild broken clock. It was all moving so fast and the clashing music grew louder and louder painfully drilling a hole in her brain. Her mouth stretched open.

Then all there was, was darkness.

_' What...What's happening? I'm screaming but I don't hear myself screaming. ' _

Her eyes burst open and her mouth now closed only because it instantly sucked on the air she just inhaled.

She was staring at a door.

The beating of her heart pounded and she flinched back gripping underneath her only to let out a frightened squeal.

"Bedsheets?!" she let go of the comforter and swung her head all around. She was not outside anymore, she was sitting inside someone's bedroom. And from the looks of it she figured a little boy's bedroom.

She swung her head to the left picking up on the noise that had been playing the entire time but that she hadn't noticed at first. She gasped. It was Sesshomaru sitting there playing the red electric guitar that was now turned on to a more modest level of listening volume. It was still the same him but he now was wearing different clothes, barefoot, and had on his head a backwards dark green baseball cap. Subconsciously, she touched at her face and at the top of her head to see if she herself had changed at all in appearance. Once she was confident she was all there she turned back to him.

He sat there still playing the guitar, paying no mind to what at all that just happened or his changed wardrobe. She frowned uneasily, he hadn't acknowledged anything not even her.

_' I wonder if he can even hear me?! '_

She opened her mouth about to speak but suddenly choked on a startled gasp. Behind him on the walls a white liquid was dripping. She scooted back now, swinging her head all around. The white liquid was raining down everywhere and the bedroom walls were now stretching farther back. The guitar music was building up again but in a somber sounding symphony. She gasped the door had disappeared along with other objects in the bedroom. The white liquid was forming a pool on the once carpet floor and was rising. The cracks spilt the ceiling open, collapsing pieces of it diving into the white pool. Rin felt herself suffocating, her heart increased in strong thudding beats. She hugged onto herself, and turned to see if Sesshomaru was alright. Her mouth gaped open. She just couldn't believe it.

_' The guitar! It's different! Again! ' _

A strong gust of wind blew nearly knocking Rin off the bed. She held on to the bed blankets and shaded her hand over her squinting eyes. A bright light bursted between them and before she could even scream his name fell back, temporarily blinded.

Her pupils rapidly moved and she awoke with a start gripping her hands under the arms of a wooden chair. It felt like the breathe of life was just tasered into her. Rin exhaled raggid breathes of air and immediatly turned to her left hearing the strums of an acoustic guitar.

Sesshomaru sat in a metal fold out chair, wearing an orange jumpsuit and white tennis shoes. In his lap, he was strumming a yellowish brown colored acoustic. She noticed it was rather a small guitar, child-sized almost. And again he was completely oblivious.

"At least he's safe and still here..." she said to herself tearing her eyes from him to their surroundings. It was a big white walled room with a white and black checkered floor and filled with various types of chairs and tables. Board games, puzzles, and other toys and games were scattered on tables and other places in the room. In front of them stood a steel gray door with a small window to look into. She did not like the cold looking door.

Rin kicked her foot from under her and frowned.

_' What is going on....? We were just sitting outside before and now we've entered the Twilight _

_Zone! Did a UFO beam us up...or...or...' _Rin shot her head and body straight up once the thought hit her.

She turned her head and slowly stuttered, "Ses-Sesshomaru?"

He did not look up from his seat and continued tweaking with the small acoustic.

Rin bolted out of her chair, "Sesshomaru!"

She approached him and stood at his right side when he did not respond.

"Sesshomaru! Sesshomaru _please_!!!! Please answer me! Ahh...come on!" she frantically hopped and shook at the back of his chair. The wobbly legs rattled against the floor. Still he did not move nor show any sign of discomfort.

She gritted her teeth, beyond frustration.

**"SESSHOMARU!"**

She struck her arm out snatching the acoustic from his hands. Her face was flushed, she panted, gripping the acoustic's neck tighter willing to let it snap in her grasp.

Sesshomaru stared dumbly at his empty hands for a couple of seconds until it sunk in that his guitar was taken from him. Slowly, he looked up. She gasped.

"Hey...why did you do that?"

His gaze was a blank, demonic, amber glow and his facial expression was as calm and neutral as could be. Within a few seconds though he realized just 'who' he was staring at. His eyes bulged now returned to their normal amber stare and every pulse in his body screeched to a halt.

_'This can't be for real! __**She**__ can't really be __**HERE**__!'_

"..Rin?"

She stared at him just as dumbfounded and shocked as he was. She slowly nodded swallowing a gulp.

Yes, she was **Here**.

_**' CRACKKKKKKKKKKKKK! BOOOOOOOOOOOOM! ' **_

Rin cried out a small scream and they both very startled pressed their backs against the large tree trunk. A bright, fiery lightning bolt had just struck the ground a couple of feet right in front of them. The crisped grass burned a charred black, wafting a wisp of smoke. A loud grumble of thunder erupted shaking the whole ground beneath them. The rain was plummenting.

Sesshomaru and Rin sucked on their teeth panting, their chests heaved in and out. Rin taking a few deep breaths just as her quickened heart beat was beginning to relax looked up at the dark tree branches. Above the rain drops poured over her and from the looks of it, it had been for a while. Her braids, body, and clothes were drenched. Her skinny, bare legs wet and dirty with rain splashed mud.

_' Rain...? But I didn't hear any.....' _she frowned lowering her eyes to the right of her. A little loose in her grasp now was her guitar's neck. The sight of it made her mind reel backwards.

"RIN!"

She gasped just as a pair of strongly lit headlights flashed through the misty rain and her dad's truck soon pulled up.

"Rin! Sesshomaru! GET IN!" Kasama shouted through the window.

Awake and alerted Sesshomaru and Rin (with her guitar) both got up and ran into the backseat of the truck. Rin slammed the door shut just as more lightning and thunder sounded. Kasama in a hurry sped off.

"What were you two thinking?! Especially _you_ Rin! Why didn't the both of you come home when it started to thunder!? Hmm!? Rin?...Rin?!"

Sesshomaru and Rin both coughed out of breath. Their chests heaved in and out again as rain water dripped from their tauseled hair onto their already soaked skin. The rain, though, was not what was chilling them to the bone. Panting, they stared at one another with wide open eyes.

~*~

_When we arrived home Mrs. Kasama threw the biggest fit and then she and Kasama both rushed Rin and I to our bedrooms. I took a shower and when I was dressed snuck out of my door and stood at the corner of the wall and waited. There wasn't very much to easedrop on Mr. and Mrs. Kasama were both as always worried sick over their precious Rin and comforted her until they were sure she'd be okay. It was only then that I had to go back into my bedroom because now they were going to check up on me. By my bedside Mrs. Kasama gave me a mug of hot chocolate and asked if I was feeling alright. I told her yes and that was all that they really wanted to know and left me to myself. They must have left all their other questions to Rin. Once I heard the last foot fall on the last step of the stairs and my insides warmed up from the hot coco I got out of bed and into the hallway._

Sesshomaru stared quizzically at Rin's bedroom door for a few seconds. Etched in the wood of the door was the outline of a small heart drawn in black crayon. Ignoring every other will in his body that told him to stop he quietly swung the door open and walked in.

"Sesshomaru?"

He stopped, closing the door behind him without actually having to turn around. The first thing you see when entering her peach colored carpeted bedroom with sunshine yellow walls was her big bed that was entirely made out of wood except of course for the mattress.

She had also taken a warm bath and was now in her pajamas. She sat in bed propped up from the pillows behind her bundled up in her cozy orange blankets. Over her lap stood a white tray that contained a bowl of hot steamy chicken soup and a cup of juice. She looked at him surprised and if he was not mistaken also a hint of embarassment.

"How-..how are you?" he choked out trailing his eyes from her to the dark mahagony trunk that sat infront of her bed. A small moutain of stuffed animals and an old "grandmother" quilt was placed upon the trunk.

Now she was even more surprised and nearly dropped her jaw as her mouth hung open, "I..I'm good. Hmm... or atleast I will be.." she looked over with a pathetic smile at the soup infront of her that her mother insisted she eat to prevent her from catching a cold. She then flashed her eyes at him, "What about you?"

"I..."

Just then he noticed her acoustic guitar leaning in the spot between her nightstand and bed. Tiny rain drops dribbled down the curvy side of it. He winced, closing his eyes and shook his head gripping a fistful of his hair behind his back.

"No...No, I'm not feeling fucking fine at all. We need to talk."

He opened his eyes. She glumly nodded and gathered herself up.

~*~

"That's it? That's all that _happened_?"

Rin vigorously nodded holding the cup of apple juice up to her lips. They both sat on the carpet cross legged from one another. Rin sat up against the bed huddled in her blanket, beside an empty soup bowl.

"Yes! Once you started playing my guitar, everything around us started to change. Oh Sesshomaru! It was incredible! Scary but incredible!"

He nodded with a frown thinking back to all she had fully described to him; the morphing guitars, his changing clothes, the places they went. It didn't make any sense what so ever.

_' How __**did **__she? How __**could **__she? I don't get it...' _

Sesshomaru darkly frowned and sat in deep contemplation. Rin watched him in silent curiousity. After a couple of minutes she took a sip from her cup and cleared her throat.

"I don't understand....how did this happen...? No one has ever....I'm the only one...."

She looked at him and sighed, she could not answer that one. "I don't know. But for whatever reason it did. You know it's just like you said before, you don't make the DreamWorld happen. _It _just _happens_."

He shook his head, "No! You don't understand! Rin..."

She raised her eyebrow as he stared her straight in the eyes. He was shaking.

"That was **not** the DreamWorld...."

She furrowed her eyebrow, "What?"

He closed his mouth and hung it open again trying to cough the words out of him. But he could not find his voice. He closed and opened his mouth to try again.

"Those were my memories..." he whispered.

She gasped, stunned in her spot. She gaped her mouth open, "Are you serious?"

He nodded as she and him both turned to stare at her acoustic guitar. Lightning flashed the inside of her bedroom followed by a bellow of thunder.

"So...my guitar triggered something in you?" she teared her eyes away from her guitar to him. He still stared at it.

"Yes. I haven't played guitar in a long time. And when I started to play yours I suddenly remembered back to when I first picked one up. And then practicing with a guitar of my own. That red one you saw" he turned to her.

She immediately nodded letting him know full well that she knew what he was talking about. After all she saw it with her own eyes or rather through his.

"That red guitar. Is mine."

"Do you still own it?"

"Yes."

She sat back trying to take this all in at once. But all that they had gone through and the confusion they endured was starting to make her head throb. She closed her eyes trying to keep her head calm.

"So I basically took a trip inside your mind?"

He nodded.

"How?"

"What do you mean how?! That's what I'm trying to figure out!"

"Alright! Alright! You don't have to shout! I'm just feeling messed up as you are right now!"

"Yea but you're not the sick one here! You don't have to deal with a mental illness, which is why I don't freaking understand why this happened! How could you see what _I_ saw and thought!"

"I don't know Sesshomaru! It just happened whether you believe it or not!"

He began to calm his breathing keeping himself from getting any louder or panicing.

"_Something_ happened. And for whatever reason it wanted to involve me. I wanted to see what you saw and I got my wish. That's all I'm sure of.."

He sniffed not willing to let this fly, 'You're right. _Something_ did happen. You saw what I was thinking, which is really weird. But it's not exactly like seeing what I dream. Maybe it was just a one time thing, maybe it won't happen again."

She stared at him with a cross of anger, " And how do you know that?"

"I propose a test" he stood up and started pacing around.

She blinked at him, " A test? How are we going to do that? You said-"

"I know! But sometimes when I'm real deep in a daydream _it _happens."

"So there is a way?" she straightened up now out of the comfort of her blanket.

"Not guaranteeing it's going to work but fuck were out of other options. Now listen to me" he sat back down across from her. He heavily sighed about what he was about to try.

"Exhale and then close your eyes. "

Rin nodded and they both took in and out a breath of air and closed their eyes. Thunder rumbled in the backround as the rain hit harder against her bedroom window.

"Block everything out. The rain, the thunder, the light, your parents talking downstairs, the past, the future, everything. Only listen to the sound of my voice. This is important so don't laugh. Focus. Rin, are you listening...?"

"Yes" she answered. She was now floating in a pitch black abyss. Her body and senses now one functioning core. His words seemed to echo off in the darkness.

"Okay. Now tell me no questions asked..sked..sked... Where do you want to go...go...go"

_"The beach...__beach__...__beach__"_

_"Think of the beach.....__beach__...__beach...__ The salt water smell..ell..ell.. The seagulls calling..__calling__...__calling__... The waves crashing..__ashing__...__ashing__...The bright blue sky not a cloud in sight..__ight__..__ight__... The sun's rays warming our skin..__skin__..__skin__..."_

Rin with her eyes still closed opened up her other four senses. She smiled smelling the salty air. She could feel the warm air caress her face.

_' Waves crashing....' _

_Beautiful blue green water with white foam rolled up and slammed right onto the brown sandy shore. It smashed apart and pulled back carrying shells, seaweed, and little sea creatures out to sea with it. _

_"We're on a sunny Florida beach. Sitting in the sand right up close to shore...__shore__..__shore__" _

A seagull flew over head chripping loudly. She turned her head in it's direction. Her toes wiggled and she pressed her palm against the ground, it sank.

Rin busted her hazel eyes open. Her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. She gasped jaw dropping open swerving her head all around her. All around her was palm trees, sand, shells, ocean.

The Beach.

She gasped, looking down at her hand. It was submerged in warm, wet sand. She laughed, wiggling the rough sand between her toes. She gasped louder with a bigger laugh just as a huge wave crashed upon the shore and water drew up close beside her. Saltwater sprayed at her face. She licked her lips and cringed at the bitter taste. She paused though placing her finger over her bottom lip.

_' Oh my gosh...I can taste it! ' _

"I can ACTUALLY TASTE IT!" she shouted while wobbly standing up on her own two feet almost losing her balance. She faced towards the ocean. Her head rocked alittle but it soon stopped. She laughed harder brushing her hands down her body. She was in her lime green one piece bathing suit.

"THIS IS AMAZING!" she shouted laughing standing foot deep in the sand as the waves pulled water from out under her. Her voice sounded alot louder than it did before. She closed her eyes and let her senses take in the beach again. She smiled as the sun's heat radiated upon her face as a warm breeze blew her hair behind her. Suddenly she remembered something and swung her head.

"Sessho-" she stopped midway. He sat beside her, chin rested upon his knees, feet in the sand. He wore white swim trunks with two red stripes streaked down the sides with red outlined Hawaiian hibiscus flowers.

He blinked and turned up at her. She stared down at him all bright eyed and shaken with excitement. Before she hadn't noticed him at all but he was aware of her.

_And that's when I knew. But I had to be sure. _

"Rin is that really you?"

"YES SESSHOMARU! DO YOU BELIEVE THIS! IT'S REAL! WE'RE REALLY **HERE**! WE'RE ACTUALLY AT THE BEACH! **I'M** AT THE BEACH WITH **YOU**! OH MY GOSH AND...AND SESSHOMARU! I CAN SEE IT! I CAN SMELL IT! I CAN TASTE IT! I CAN REALLY FEEL IT SESSHOMARU! IT FEELS SOOOO GOODDDDDDDDDDD! I'M SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She madly grinned and shook her legs back and forth, splashing the water. She continued on talking and laughing at how unbelievably great it was.

He stared at her in unbelievable amazement. He watched her in her natural happiness and it made him frown. He still didn't understand.

_' How can she be so care free about all this?! ' _

"Rin! Aren't you confused at all as to why you are **Here**? It doesn't make any sense. You're not supposed to be **Here**! No one is...." he raised his voice over the crashing waves she played in, audiably whispering the last part.

"Well...." she huffed splashing her hands in the shallow water. "...Maybe it's not supposed to make sense, afterall we're **Here** now. I know it's crazy but maybe I'm supposed to be **Here**."

_' Suppose to be__** Here**__? ' _

He stared at her quirking his eyebrow, her voice sure sounded distant.

"Maybe there's some big reason behind it all" she tossed a shell into the water.

_' A reason? ' _

"That we're not even allowed to know about, well not yet anyway. But right now I feel better not knowing. So please don't be mad. All we know is, is that I'm **Here**. No whys, whats, or hows about it, because that's all beyond us. I'm **Here** and now-I'M WET!" she calmly giggled bending over on her knees. Her ribs felt like they were going to give out, she had been laughing so hard.

"Here Sesshomaru. Come on stand up with me!" she extended her hands out for him to hold onto.

He cautiously stared at her hands and then to her. She grinned, the wind whipped strands of her hair around her face.

"Come on!"

He lowered his eyes to her hands and gulped. His good arm trembled to rise but something weighed his shoulders down.

"I...I can't."

"Huh?" she tilted her head at him. He frowned at her just as a huge wave came spilling down upon him washing him away with the tide.

Rin blinked her hazel eyes. She sucked on a gasp nearly falling down. She was standing up, bent over on her knees. She shook her head, wobbly standing straight up. She swung her head around the familiar settings, they were back in her bedroom. Back in her pajamas. She wiggled her toes into the plush carpet. The rain still heavily poured against her bedroom window.

A few feet below her Sesshomaru laid flat on his back on the carpet which was once the watery shore. He stared up at the ceiling which was once the sunny, blue, sky. She fluidly walked past him as if in a dream and kneeled at her window. She rested her head against the window pane and watched the rain.

For a while they were silent and nothing but the pattering of rain and low bellows of thunder were heard.

_' So please don't be mad. All we know is, is that I'm __**Here**__. No whys, whats, or hows about it, because that's all beyond us. I'm __**Here ' **_

Sesshomaru blinked, placing his hands on his chest. He still didn't understand and maybe she was...right. Maybe they weren't supposed to understand. Was there really some higher power behind it all, controlling them for it's own specific purpose? And why her? Why now?

"The rain storm."

Rin didn't turn around, too lazy to move. She felt tired and drained of much energy.

"You weren't aware of it either..?"

She sighed, gazing at the rivulets of rain streaming down the glass.

"No. I didn't hear any thunder nor see any clouds."

_' I was afraid of that..'_ he thought rolling his eyes left towards the wall where a rather large looking closet was. But it completely confirmed everything.

She swung her head, hearing a shuffling movement. Sesshomaru staggered up and over to the bedroom door.

"Wait! Where are you going?!"

He paused his hand over the door knob. "Back to my room. I've got alot on mind right now."

"Don't you trust me, Sesshomaru?"

He bowed his head. "I don't know Rin. I still don't know. And I don't like this. I don't like this at all. Goodbye."

He turned the knob, the door opened halfway.

"I'll tell you everything."

He stopped his hand. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. The beating of his heart thudded in his chest. A short breath escaped his parted lips. He stared down at his hand and pushed the door closed.

"Ev-everything?" he cocked his head over his shoulder. Rin now sat on her knees turned away from the window. She nodded.

"Everything. Everything you wanted to know. But you're going to have to trust me. You're going to have to let me be with you in the Dream World."

He snarled angerly, "Forget it! I don't want you inside my mind not now or ever!"

He twisted back around about to grab the door knob.

"They're putting pills inside your drinks!"

His heart stopped but this time he immediately swung around. He stared at her, his eyes wide with shock.

"And sometimes in your food too."

"My medication.." he looked down rubbing the side of his temple. "No wonder I've been feeling so off lately!"

_' That's why they give me juice and soda so much! Because I can't see or smell my meds that they crush up in it! Bastards! ' _

He flashed his eyes at her as she started to stand.

"I didn't think it was right to keep it a secret from you anymore."

"After all it was for my own good wasn't it?" he sarcastically sneered. She timidly looked down.

"Man I can't believe I was so stupid! I should have known! My dad must have told them to do this.." he angerly huffed looking away.

"I _hate_ taking my medication."

"What's it do anyway?" she peered up at him.

"It's to keep me under control. Leave me numb and I fucking hate it. It's fuckin' brainwash is all it is" he gritted his teeth while growling and tightened his hands into hard fists.

"You shouldn't have to take something you don't want to. It should be a crime."

Sesshomaru stared her straight in the eye trying to catch a lie. She boldly stared back, she knew all too well what it felt like being forced into something you did not want to do.

_' She's not sucking up. She's being sincere.'_

"But I just thought I should tell you that. I felt like you had the right to know" she said with a pinch of bitterness and walked by to pick up her blanket.

He eyed her as she walked by and turned his head back. He inwardly growled and groaned, brushing his hand through his bangs. The voice inside his head began to argue with him.

_"Use this to your advantage!"_

He swung around.

"Look, Rin."

"Yea?" she looked at him oddly.

"I.." he groaned. "..I want to..... make a deal with you" he choked out, flipping his hand through his bangs again.

She approached him, "What kind of deal?"

"You're my guardian or whatever right now. Right?"

"...Right."

"So I was just thinking do you think you could whenever your parents aren't looking. Get rid of the medication injected meals and drinks they give me and replace it, so they'll think I actually drank and ate it."

"Well Sesshomaru I don't know...That will be tough..." she rolled her eyes to the side and then smirked at him. "What's in it for me?"

_' Now she just had to get cocky with me...as if this isn't hard enough!'_

He rolled his eyes with a sense of aggravation, "What do you think?!"

Her eyes brightened, just as she grinned. "Really?! You're serious?!"

Rin looked ready to bounce up and down with joy.

"Yea! Yea, I mean it! Just keep it down okay" he looked towards the door afraid someone might burst in.

"What made you change your mind?" she whispered.

"Look what does that matter you're getting what you want aren't you?" he whispered.

Her smile disappeared, "It does too matter Sesshomaru. I want to know I'm not being cheated out."

He exasperated, "I'm not cheating you out of anything. It's just..."

_' I really did want to know what happened. And for whatever reason things are coming back to me, things that I don't entirely remember. Things I'm dying to know. ' _

"Sesshomaru?" Rin drew closer. He looked lost again.

He blinked at her and shook his head sitting down. She knelt infront of him.

"I just really want to know. But..." he frowned trying to picture himself screaming for his mother. "...But not yet. You tell me when I feel ready to ask you...and you tell me it all the whole truth. Okay?"

She nodded, "Okay Sesshomaru."

He sighed drooping his head rubbing his temple again. He shut his eyes growling, his head throbbed painfully.

"Are you alright?"

"No...I have a headache."

"Wait here. I'll go get you some advil."

She stood up and went to the door.

"Wait Rin!"

She turned around.

"What?"

"We have a deal right?" he stood up wincing at the heaviness he felt as he lifted his head up. He walked to over to her.

"Deal" she held her hand out. He frowned at her extended hand.

"To shake on it is not enough. You gota promise me to keep this whole thing between me and you a secret. And you better fucking keep it a secret. No ratting out to your dad, mom, brother, anybody! Because if you do I am going to _**kill**_ you. You understand?!" he aggressively growled looming over her.

Her heart pounded alittle fast at his honest to God threat. She was never afraid of him but now he was bordering on his crazy side and that scared her. She slowly nodded her head.

"I..I promise" she answered unable to help the stutter in her voice.

He appeared satisfied and to a step back so he wasn't towering over her anymore.

She defeatedly sighed. She had earned herself a reputation for tattle tailing.

_'It's no wonder he doesn't trust you.' _

She ignored the thought.

"I won't tell anyone. Not a living soul. You have my word."

He quirked his eyebrow at her. " You better. Because this isn't a fucking game Rin. This is my head we're talking about. My secret, that for some reason God knows why you became involved with. And I need your trust. I need to know that you trust me."

She felt a heat of anger rise in her. She felt like a cadet being commanded by a general. She stood straight and tall, her shoulders square, her arms at her side.

"Don't worry Sesshomaru. You have my trust. I will respect all that you ask of me and tell me. I will keep it all a secret. But what I need to know is, do _**you**_ trust _**me**_?" she looked him square in the eye now.

He flicked his ears back, he looked down and up at her.

"Sesshomaru, do you trust me?" she repeated more like commanded he answer her.

He rolled his eyes, very exasperated, mulling it over.

"..Yes..." he mumbled looking down.

"What?"

He loudly groaned, "Yes! Alright! Yes! I trust you!"

"Then shake on it" she struck her hand out to him.

He looked at her hand then to her as she spoke.

"Prove it to me. Seal the deal and shake on it."

"Psh, I'm _not_ going to do _that_."

She sternly stared at him dropping her hand, "Alright then fine, I won't help you."

She turned to leave. A shot of panic went through him.

_"Get her you idiot!" _

"Wait! Alright!"

She paused turning her head to the side.

"Let's...let's sh-shake on it. You..you have my... trust."

He stood there with his hand out to her, visibily trembling.

She smiled at him and instantly took his hand which came to a surprise to him. He exhaled, as they both shook hands until he abruptly withdrew his hand back. It's been so long, he was not used to the physical touch.

"There was that so hard?"

"Don't push it" he sneered and she laughed. He put his hands in his pockets.

"So do we have a deal?" he said.

"Yes" she answered her laughter calmed down.

"And don't forget a thing I told you, yea hear" he whispered as she opened the door.

"I won't."

"Cross your heart" he looked at her seriously. To him crossing your own heart was the most permanent of bonds.

She blinked and then sighed. Rin never liked the "Cross your heart" promise. But she had no choice.

"What are you doing?" he eyed her walk past him to her dresser and pulled a drawer out. She took something out of it and walked back to him.

She stared him straight in the eye, holding up in her fingers a black crayon.

"Cross my heart" she crossed her own heart over her chest with her right hand and then crossed an X over the heart on her door. She turned back to him with the hand holding the crayon behind her back.

"And...hope to..die."

"Okay" he nodded at her. "Now the deal is sealed."

Suddenly she smiled at him. It wasn't her usual mad sort of grins but a genuine smile. The one that made the hazel color in her eyes sparkle and her cheeks perk up.

"What?!" he irritably asked feeling uncomfortable at the way she was looking at him.

"Thank you Sesshomaru, this means so much to me, you don't even know and I..I won't let you down. Okay? I promise you this won't escape me and you."

He nodded, "Okay Rin."

She smiled again at him, " 'K I'll be right back with your asprin."

He watched her leave and when she was gone looked up at her bedroom door. He touched the X she drew over the heart.

_"She crossed her heart...both of them"_

"Yea...." he let his hand fall to his side and looked down the hallway. "Let's just hope she isn't lying."

~*~

Once Rin reached the stairs her smile turned upside down into a frown. She sighed staring at the black crayon in her hand. She intended to keep her promise and their secret safe. She was lucky though. Sesshomaru had not seen her cross her fingers once she recited,

"And hope to die."

**Please Review! I need lots of reviews! =) I want to thank all of those who have stuck with me and this story! Phew! I'm beat! I worked really hard on this chapter and believe me it was really tough to write. Hopefully the other chapters in the future won't be as hard now that Sesshomaru and Rin are starting to come together!**

**Much love,**

**Vinyl_Mono  
**


	13. Horse Sense

**The Next Morning**

"Ka...um....."

Rin bit her bottom lip rolling her eyes to the side.

"Something wrong hon'?" Mrs. Kasama asked looking up across the table. Her fork clicked against the plate just as she stabbed a pancake piece.

"Oh..no, mam. Just had to clear my throat is all" Sesshomaru nonchalantly answered.

"Oh.. okay" she sweetly smiled at him and ate the piece of food on her fork. She dabbed a napkin to her lips and stood to get out of her chair, "You better finish up soon, Mr. Kasama will be coming for yea any minute now."

Sesshomaru had barely eatten much off his plate but took a few bites so not to look suspicious. He did not take one sip from his cup of orange juice. Rin was nearly done.

Just as Mrs. Kasama passed by the both of them Sesshomaru who had been keeping his eyes forward sitting perfectly still... lightly punched Rin on the shoulder.

Her posture shot up and her face flushed a beet red. Her lips pressed tight together to keep them close stifling that urge to shout "Hey!" Instead she angrily scowled at him with a furrowed wrinkled brow.

Sesshomaru scowled back at her, cleared his throat again and tossed his head towards Mrs. Kasama's back. A rush of running water sounded from the sink.

"I'm going to alright! Just give me a second! What do you want me to do?!" she harshly whispered.

"I don't care! Just do it now!" he quietly hissed glancing from her to Mrs. Kasama's back and then back to Rin. The sinks knob squeaked plugging up the running water.

"Okay I'll do it...." she angrily muttered between her teeth.

"Do what?"

"Uhh...mom!" Rin stiffened turning her head around and nervously smiled at her.

"Yes?" she asked while rubbing her hands under a wash cloth.

"You better not screw this up Rin.." Sesshomaru whispered keeping his back on Mrs. Kasama loudly forking at his plate pretending to eat.

Rin scowled at Sesshomaru giving him the evil eye.

"What is it Rin?"

"Oh! Um!" she swung back to her mom trying to appear as innocent as possible.

She coughed and cleared her throat, "Um...Sesshomaru and I were wondering if...if...."

Rin slowly darted her eyes around the kitchen. She paused and stared at the green leafy vines hanging outside of the kitchen window behind her mother.

_'Eureka!'_

She smiled more confidently now.

"If...when you're not too busy.. if we could help you out in your garden sometime. Sesshomaru had noticed the beautiful flowers you have growing out there and he..had wanted to.. help plant some too" she grinned looking over to Sesshomaru whom glared murderously at her from the side.

She stifled down the urge to laugh and kept at that smug air.

"Oh..." Mrs. Kasama sweetly smiled pressing her palm to her heart. "Oh that would just be lovely. And it's funny I was just thinking about it the other day, I haven't been in my garden in such a while. Those plants need tending to and I need to put some new fertilizer down and wouldn't it be grand to plant some pretty summer flowers?"

"Like...sunflowers?" Rin grinned with delight.

Mrs. Kasama happily smiled with alittle laugh, "Your favorite. Of course 'hon."

"Do you have any out back in the shed?"

She stopped and thought a moment tapping her finger against her chin. "You know I'm not sure. But I'll go and check"

"Great! Thanks mom!" Rin nearly laughed smiling, this was actually working.

"Hm, you're most welcome" she smiled stopping by the hall she then turned her eyes to the dog demon youth. "And thank you so much Sesshomaru for noticing my flower garden. It's so kind of you to want to help."

"Hehe it's no problem..." Sesshomaru cocked his head to the side and cracked his best fake grin.

_' What a dear.. ' _Mrs. Kasama placed her hand at her heart again smiling at him. He gave a slight nod and turned back to his plate of food. She was just about to leave the kitchen when it dawned on her.

"Oh and by the way is there any flower in particular you would like me to look into?"

Rin watched him as he stopped moving. His eyebrows creased indenting long lines in his forehead.

"I-uh...."

_Pink painted lips twist into a lengthy, perfect grin, laughing. A very beautiful laugh. _

And then it went ' POOF '. All gone.

_' All gone Sesshomaru.' _

He frowned and blinked at the wall and lowered his eyes.

"No, that's alright mom."

Immediately, he cut his eyes at Rin.

"But if he thinks of one he'll let you know. Right?" Rin turned her head around to him. He quirked his eyebrow at her. As if reading his thoughts Rin made a face that said _"just go along with it."_

"Well...." Mrs. Kasama looked over to him.

Sesshomaru quickly caught her eyes and swiftly nodded. She smiled again.

"Okay. And I'll let you two know when I'll be gardening. Do well today."

"We will" Rin replied smiling just as her mother turned and left out of the kitchen.

Once Mrs. Kasama was completely gone Rin blew a huge sigh of relief and sank down in her chair, deflated.

"What the hell was that Rin?!" Sesshomaru spat not too pleased.

She loudly groaned with a roll of her eyes.

"Shut up and eat this" she slid her plate over to him that had two pancakes still left on it, purposely saved for him. She then got up grabbing his plate and went over to the trash can and scraped the remaining food off into it. She covered some trash over the half eaten food so no one especially her mother would see it.

"I do not want to fuckin' plant some stupid flowers....with your mom" he whined while stuffing his face. She swiped his drink off the table.

"Hey it worked didn't it? She left! It was the only thing I could think of on the spot okay! Are you almost done?" she asked turning her head to him while pouring the orange juice from his cup down the sink drain.

"Yea almost" he replied while cutting the last pancake up in bite size pieces.

"Here I poured you a new glass" Rin set the cup down and sat next to him.

"Thanks Captain Obvious" he rolled his eyes and took a thirst quenching swing of it.

"Hey enough alright. I told yea this will be hard. Today we got off real easy, tomorrow we might not. You could at least thank me it was a crafty enough lie to get my mom to leave so we could get rid of your medication."

_"She's got you there."_

He rolled his eyes with an annoyed groan. He stared at her as she spoke some more. He started finishing off the rest of the food while trying to drown out the sound of her voice.

"AND don't you zone out on me like that again! My mom wouldn't have left then if she felt something was wrong with yea!"

He heavily sighed and lowered his eyes, "Sorry."

"What?!" she exclaimed mouth dropped wide open and she blinked. She_ had _heard him apologize to her. She just couldn't believe it nor was she expecting him to do so.

He exasperatedly huffed and turned to her with pouted lips and a raised eyebrow.

"Hehe" she chuckled alittle embarrassed. "You're.. right I heard yea the first time."

"Good, because I don't say that word often unless I feel it is necessary and I'm not going to repeat myself. I'm just angry that now sometime in the future I'm going to have to be working in some damn, sissy, flower garden....But you..were..right... It did get your mom out of here so I can eat a decent breakfast without ingesting my medication. So I won't hold it against you. You did what I asked and even though it's something I'm not at all looking forward into fulfilling..you came through. And for that...I...am.....grateful."

Happy to hear this she laughed alittle bashful in the face and looked down cupping a fist in her hand. In between her giggling she had softly replied a you're welcome. He watched her with mild interest while chugging down the rest of his drink.

_' For all tough and mighty in the way she talks. Even she gets shy sometimes.' _

He craned his neck back further raising the glass higher as the last drops of orange juice streamed down into his mouth.

"So..." Rin now completely serious looked at him. "Um..what had happened? Where did you go?"

He swallowed and set the cup down. His brow creased as he tried to imagine and smacked his lips. He looked down tapping his fingers against the side of the table. She watched him patiently waiting for him to answer. Slowly, he stopped tapping his fingers and sighed. He could hear the air suck in his mouth as he opened it about to speak. She moved in closer to listen.

_**' SWACK! ' **_

Rin and Sesshomaru shot up in alarm. Mr. Kasama stood on the back steps his hand pressed against the screen door.

"Yea'll ready?"

~*~

Sunshine beamed upon the two of them as they followed behind her father who was a couple of yards ahead of them. A big white barn with a dark green roof stood on the far end of the pathway they were walking down. As they walked upon the clay, sandy, path their sneakers kicked brownish-orange gravel stones and dirt clots.

Sesshomaru blinked and squinted his eyes towards the long winded barn. Heat waves were already rippling in the morning air. Though with his keen eyesight he could see a brass almost black weather vane at the top of the barn's roof top. It was a rooster. The rooster wavered, gleaming brightly against the blue.

The image of the rooster glinted a perk to his eyes, fading his usual scowling expression.

"_They've come to snuff the rooster...ah yeah...you know he ain't gonna die_...." he softly sang to himself staring up ahead at the white barn.

"And by the way that punch you gave me.._still_ hurts."

Sesshomaru stopped and rolled his eyes, "Boo-fucking-hoo Rin. I didn't hit you _that_ hard anyway."

"Yea did too!"

"I _did_!? Oh! I'm _sooooo_ _sorry_!!!! I didn't realize how much of a _**wimp**_you were!" he sneered mockingly with a teasing laugh.

Rin felt what was like a deep growl in the back of her throat. Feeling like it might be a scream she clenched her teeth together and eyed furious daggers at his 'stupid ' face. Within seconds, without realizing it, and without even a second thought, she struck her arm out.

_**"OOOOUUU!!!!!" **_ Sesshomaru screeched painfully while he lopsidedly stood with his head and neck slanted to a tilt. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Ah....AHH...!" he tried to open his squinted, blinking eyes.

"Does it _hurt_?" Rin maliciously replied tightening the grip she had in her hot fist. She was too angry and too steamed up to smirk at his pain she was causing.

"**You**_ little__** bi**_-AH!-Ahh! Let go! LET GO!" he growled, now tottering on one foot while the other was slightly raised up.

She narrowed her eyes even further and tugged harder.

"AH!!!"

"Hey...."

Sesshomaru eyed her the best he could and clenched his teeth.

"DON'T EVER CALL ME WEAK AGAIN!"

She released the fistful of his flowing hair she had yanked. This led to the undoing of his balance. He made a sort of funny noise and landed right on his flat stomach.

**"GRRRRRRRR...." **

By now Rin had considered the consequences of her let's just say not so intelligent actions, but she did not take a step back even at the fearful hiss of his growling. He slowly rose up onto his knees. His hands pressed hard against the clay that his fingers curled and claws raked in the soil. He swung his head to her, his face a perfect picture of ' Rage ' if the feelings of ' Rage ' ever could physically have such a face.

His furrowed brow a mass of wrinkled tight flesh that the indigo crescent moon embedded in his forehead appeared slightly twisted. The nostrils of his nose flared in and out. His mouth parted open, his fangs and sharp teeth could be visibly seen and noted. His ears pointed straight back and just like his moon, the demon stripes on his cheeks had changed, rigid and spiky like bloody razors. But his eyes. Oh how much larger they had become! His iris' amber color shone, alive and full of embers, the pupils were no longer round but black narrow slits. And when Rin stared into those eyes she could see a red light shine iridescently and flash over them like a cast shadow.

_' If looks __**could**__ kill...' _

It wouldn't surprise her if a fire exploded right then and there. But Rin held herself. The way he looked at her did nothing. Her face did not cringe in shock or cower in horror. No flinching, crying, or frowning. She just glared down at him with her own heated stare, tight lipped, fists planted at her sides.

In her young life, there were certain things that Rin could only take for so long.

_**Taunting and teasing**_**?** Yes, of course we all go through that, it leaves an aching thorn at your side but with time that thorn gets old and breaks off and eventually doesn't matter anymore. It just leaves an ol' worn war scar.__

_**Loneliness**_**?** At times and especially at school, but deep down she knew, always knew, she was never_ truly _alone.

_**Embarrassment**_**?** Those were the kind of things that she needed to hide, things other people really didn't need to know about and to do that sometimes she would lie. Lying has always been her "lock and key".

_**Death? **_....Well let's not get into that.

Those were the kind of things Rin could live with. Live with for the rest of her entire life.

But one certain thing she would never, never, never ever, ever, _ever _live with is being dubbed _**"weak." **_

She would never, by any circumstance, be they man or beast, natural disaster or unruly predicament ever let them leave her weak. Call her weak. Make her weak.

She was **strong**. Strong enough to take down anything, over come anything. Strong enough to do tasks just as everyone else _or_ not like everyone else. Strong enough to live freely in this world and be herself.

As far as she knew she was strong and to anyone or anything who thought otherwise well she was certainly not afraid to prove them wrong.

_' He's not going to kill me . ' _

_' He's just bluffing. ' _

Underneath it all though, her heart was racing.

**"Grrr.....WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!!!" **he yelled as saliva flew from the corners of his snarling lips. To her, his shouting sounded more like mad barking, except audible.

She stared crossly at him. He growled in both anger and frustration.

_' Dammit! Why is she not afraid of me?! She should be pissing in her pants right now! ' _

He abruptly stopped, once Kasama's voice interrupted from the distance.

"Rin! Is everything alright? I thought I heard.....barking."

She bit her bottom lip and reluctantly swayed her head to side.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes,_ ' Oh yea Rin.. as if I would do something with your dad watching us! '_

"Yea dad! It's nothing Sesshomaru just tripped and fell is all!"

"Is he okay?"

"Yea!"

"Oh, alright..well hurry it up! These horses aren't going to clean themselves yea know!"

"Yea...I know.." she whispered to herself. She lingered for a couple of seconds, watching her father turn and walk away. Once he did, she turned back around.

"Come on."

Sesshomaru's upper lip curled and his nostrils flared at how _cold_ her voice had sounded. A low growl vibrated from his throat. His knuckles cracked as he raked his fingers into a fist just as she turned her back on him.

_' __**You**__ were made to __**look up at her**__, while __**SHE LOOKED DOWN AT YOU**__!!! ' _

He steadily stood up, heavily breathing. He stared madly at the soil caked in his palms and caught in his long fingernails. And then darkly narrowed his eyes at the back of the girl.

"HEY RIN!"

At that tone of voice she swiftly turned around and faced him.

_' You really pissed him off now, Rin. ' _

_' I don't care. ' _

Though it was to be expected, she supposed.

Inside him raged a wild beast desperately seeking to unleash...and claw her eyes out.

"What?"

"DON'T TREAT ME LIKE I'M YOUR PET!" he angrily exclaimed with slight hyper breaths. He took a couple steps forward.

"I am not some animal you can just boss around whenever you so damn well feel like!"

Rin's eyebrow's furrowed just as she scowled.

"And I am not somebody you can push around and walk all over! Maybe if you actually gave me some respect I wouldn't have to treat you like one. And you know what?! You're right! You're not an animal-

_' Even though you act like one....' _

but technically you still have to listen to me!"

He growled furiously, she did have him there at least at the end of her shouting. He was hers and her family for the rest of the summer all because of some stupid broken tombstones.

This was all her fault and he hated her for it.

"Now come on..."

He just growled.

"I mean it Sesshomaru, do you want my dad to come out here and start asking questions? I really don't. So let's go."

He just continued growling as he followed behind her. His feet started to hurt and it only made him more angrier. Angry not only because she had pulled his hair and made him fall but because he still did not understand what the hell was going on. Now she had really crossed him.

"You know.."

Rin sucked an inhale of breath and stopped to place her hand over her chest, just as Sesshomaru unexpectedly appeared right in front of her. They just made it to the entrance to the horse stables when he and without a sound approached from the side and decided to block her. She couldn't help the sudden chills that spiked up her spine or rapid heart beat.

He leaned in closer so he could tower over her and spoke almost in the secret way of a whisper, "I could just tell your dad about you throwing up all over the place."

"What about being a snitch?" she sneered and let her hand off her heart.

"Psh, that doesn't matter considering it's_ you _I'd be telling on."

"And_ I _can just tell my dad all the wonderful "goodies" you have hiding right under your bed" she spat, grinning most wickedly.

He took a step back and momentarily raised his eyebrows in alarm. But soon he gritted his teeth and vehemently snarled a grissly growl.

_' She_ _**knows**__ where my stash is! '_

A fang poked out from his curled upper lip. He lunged forward and glared at her through piercing, narrow eyes.

"You're a bitch."

Irately he whipped around and stormed off not giving a shit what she thought about that.

Instead of more shouting or whatever comeback he assumed Rin would come up with she only stood there and watched him go.

It was quiet.

"Psh...finally shut her up..." Sesshomaru muttered to himself tossing his head up higher and and began to walk more faster.

In a few seconds though, amongst his own, he distinctly heard the shuffle of footsteps following behind him.

~*~

A half an hour had passed and Rin watched Sesshomaru tend to the horses while at the same time minding the horses herself with affectionate pats. They had both ignored the other and since then had increasingly cooled down...somewhat.

Rin waited by an empty stable holding a granny smith apple in her hand. She leaned back against the stable's wooden post and quietly observed Sesshomaru giving a dapple gray horse it's last brush down.

_' He certainly has gotten accustomed to working with the animals...' _ she craned her head alittle just as he switched over to brush the horse's left side and then looked down at the apple with a hard stare.

_' He seems alright now but I bet if I bring it all up again he'll get really mad...' _

"Alright, come on Steeltoe..."

Rin looked up and immediately stood up off the horse's stable and watched as Sesshomaru gently led Steeltoe into his stall. She couldn't help but smile, just a little bit, as he appropriately guided the horse in the stall, then swung him to the left and guided him up forward so the horse was facing him once he back stepped out of the stall, unlatched the lead rope, and shut the door.

Sesshomaru bent down to gather up the trailing lead rope but stopped halfway and stood up in sudden realization.

"Oh _shit_..."

"What's the matter?! Did your stitc-" she frowned glancing at his bad arm.

"No. I forgot to take off his halter" he frowned aggravated, the horse had already turned his back around to nibble on some hay in the far right corner of the stall.

"Oh! Is that all? Here.."

He turned just as Rin cut two slices out of the apple with a pocket knife in her hands. He frowned at her. She tucked the little knife into the back pocket of her shorts.

"I was going to give this apple to him anyway. Steeltoe is a sucker for them, here take them" she handed them off and he begrudgingly accepted them. He stared at the apple slices for a second and then turned to the side to hang his arm over the stall door.

"Tck, tck, Steeltoe.." he called clicking his tongue.

The dapple gray gelding snorted pricking his ears in Sesshomaru's direction. He lifted his head up while stray straws of hay shook from his dark gray forlock.

"Here boy" Rin cooed waving her own apple slice in the air.

Steeltoe nostril's blew and quickly approached the two.

"That's a good boy..." she grinned steadily lowering her hand and taking a step back just as the large horse reared his entire neck out to reach for her.

Sesshomaru then stepped forward and removed the halter off the horse's face.

"Good boy Steeltoe" Rin approached the ancy horse and put her hand under his black mouth. She grinned as he munched the apple out of her palm. While Rin was feeding him Sesshomaru about almost turned around until he felt a heavy nudge right at his shoulder.

"Hey!" he grimaced stepping back slightly from the horse. Steeltoe nickered and shook his head up and down.

Sesshomaru glared in Rin's direction as she laughed.

"He wants your apples" she simply stated.

Sesshomaru blinked feeling almost stupid as to having forgotten he was holding them in his other hand. He lifted his hand out.

"Here."

"No. No."

"What?" he impatiently groaned putting his hand down much to Steeltoe's dismay. "You told me to give him the stupid apple."

"Give me your hand."

"What?!"

Without warning she stepped in closer and took his wrist.

"Hey! What are you-" he angrily exclaimed about ready to pull his arm away.

"Like this Sesshomaru.."

His eyes widened and he shut his mouth just as she then held his hand and cupped his palm. She guided his cupped hand under the horse's mouth. Sesshomaru quietly swallowed a gulp lodged in his throat watching the big animal's nose engulf over his whole hand just as Rin had let go. He stiffened at the funny tickling sensation he suddenly felt from the horse's velvet muzzle and whiskers roaming against his skin. He cleared his throat some and straightened up his posture. The corners of his mouth twitched as he listened to the sound of Steeltoe loudly crunching.

"You know.."

He turned at her, she was smiling, warmly at him. He raised an eyebrow at her and turned back towards Steeltoe whom had finishing consuming the apple slices out of his hand. He briefly stared at his palm before wiping it at the side of his jeans.

"You are quite a natural with the horses."

He blinked at her and stopped wiping his palm. He bit his lip annoyed and looked away from her gaze. He looked like he was caught doing something he shouldn't.

"Yea, well..." he placed Steeltoe's halter on a hook near the stall and turned back around.

"Wait! Sesshomaru.."

He loudly groaned and stopped. She dropped the rest of the apple into Steeltoe's stall.

"What do you want?!" he swung around, fiercely glaring at her. Clearly telling her that he was still very angry at her.

"I'm..." she exhaled quickly gathering herself. "Only looking for an apology."

"An_** apology!?**_ You want **me** to apologize to_**you**_! For what?! You're the one who fucking pulled my hair! " he exclaimed and angrily tossed the lead rope. The metal clip of the rope smacked loudly against the wall.

"For calling me weak!"

He growled, "Not this shit again...What the hell are you talking about?! I didn't call you weak!"

"You called me a wimp."

He swung his head and gave her a double take with large eyes, "AND....?!"

"Ughh! It's the same thing!"

He swung his head again, "This is fucking ridiculous...I repeat! I did not call you weak!"

"**YES** _you __**did**_! Rin is such a **wimp** she can't even take a hit! _**I'm**_so much stronger_** than **_she is! She's so inferior to me just because I'm a demon. The proof that she is hurting shows it! She's _**so **_weak! Such a weak wimp! Rin is a big weakling that she absolutely has no purpose in society! "

Sesshomaru raised his eyebrow at her once she had stopped her violent tirade. She had been stomping around in a zig zaggy kind of circle swinging her arms around her and now stood facing him. She previously had sounded as if she had been speaking in tongues what with her voice changing from mocking, bitter lows to extreme high tones. Her face was flushed and her mouth hung open panting for air but her enraged expression never faltered. He stared at her carefully.

_' All this damn fuss over me calling her a wimp. ' _

_"Hey, you've been known to cause plenty of uproars yourself." _

_' Yea, but still..what the fucking hell?! Something just doesn't add up here... ' _

"Rin.." he finally spoke feeling he had been quiet long enough. He looked down and then back up. A strange bobbing sense of curiosity was swelling up like a blown bubble inside of him.

She stopped panting and croaked out a, "Yea?"

"Why _did _you pull my hair?" he asked, sorely.

Again he carefully watched her every move, her eyes were solely locked to his.

"I was proving a point" she coolly answered with much hatred treading in her voice.

"You mean you were getting even.."

She tilted her head at him and sharply replied, "No. I was proving a point. You hit me so I pulled your hair just so you could see that it's _normal _when somebody does this to someone it's going to hurt them. We are completely different but when it comes down to feeling pain..."

Sesshomaru looked askance at her, still listening.

"Well.. that's where we are equal."

He cocked an eye and wrinkled his nose at her, "Is that all?"

"That and do not under estimate me."

Sesshomaru blinked at her in obvious suprise to her choice of words. Normally Rin would burst out laughing at his funny looking expression but she remained and was utterly serious.

"Just because I maybe smaller in a size and _human _does not give you the right to just assume that you are stronger than I am. Just because you're a demon and have all these powers and teeth and claws you think you're so bad...I'm just as strong as you are! I am **not** some good for nothing!"

Sesshomaru sniffed and narrowed his eyes.

_"She's putting words in your mouth!"_

"Look let's get one thing straight here..."

Rin blinked a little bug eyed as she suddenly was face to face with him.

_' Gota get used to his demonic bursts of speed...' _

She exhaled and arched her eyebrow at him.

"What?"

He stared at her briefly before answering, "I don't know what the hell has gotten into your head but I am getting _damn _sick of it. So I called you a wimp..I'll admit that, but I did not go so far as to insult your heritage or say you were a good for nothing weakling!"

She glared daggers at him and replied almost childishly, "You still meant it. Even if you didn't say it you still _**meant**_ it. "

He clenched his teeth and lightly growled at her.

_' This chick is __**REALLY**__ driving my patience! ' _

Tight lipped Rin crossed her arms over her chest. His eyes spun in disbelief and he snarled at her.

"Listen you little bitch..." he zoomed his face in front of hers. "You have no idea what exactly I'm capable of...with just _one _claw..."

She warily followed his finger with her eyes and dropped her arms to her sides as he floated his claw tipped finger up and over the bridge of her nose and then down the line of her cheek. He hissed once he lowered his finger and hovered it over the area of her neck.

_' Just one scratch away...'_

He growled furiously as he dropped his hand and drew back a step. She was still glaring at him determined to not let him get to her. Yet even so he could hear the tense beating of her heart.

"So...I suggest you take your own advice...Rin..and do not under estimate me.

She tilted her head slightly and stared up at him, "I'm not scared of you."

He irritably growled unable to stand the sight of her any longer. His knuckles cracked as he tried to keep his fist at his side.

_'__** Damn**__....this girl....is......'_

_"Fierce?"_

_"Wild?"_

_' __**Hellbent and relentless**__! ' _

"Why?" he asked and was the only thing he could muster speaking out of a very tight locked jaw. His shoulders started to tremble some.

She eyed him and spoke quite crisply.

"Because you are nothing to fear that I haven't already before."

Sesshomaru arched his eyebrow and stared at Rin, quizzically. She of course stared back at him with that insane determination.

_I certainly was not expecting that for an answer. It was funny and weird, I suddenly wasn't mad anymore....okay I was still mad but...... You already had me chasing after white rabbits...and I was born to run. _

He swung his head back and loudly exhaled a sigh. He blinked at something moving in the high corner of the frame of Steeltoe's stall. He focused his eyes. It was a barn spider. He watched it lightly crawl around, weaving it's web.

Rin glared at him questioningly and was about to sprout her head up to see whatever it was he was staring at.

"You're......"

She never got a chance and turned her eyes back to him whom already was now facing her again. She looked in his eyes and tried to figure out what exactly he was thinking. But he was too difficult to read.

".....Kind of strange..."

She gaped her mouth open. Her puzzled expression did not last long, she frowned with a twitch at the side of her lips and lowered her eyes from him.

"Hn..so I've been told....Hey! Where are you going?"

Rin's jaw dropped. He was already standing on the other end of the hall.

He turned slightly and held up the lead rope to show her.

"I got work to do."

She blinked at him, perplexed. He turned back and continued walking. Suddenly she felt hot with stubborn anger and was about to shout something at him.

"Oh and Rin.." he cocked his head to the side only. His left eye peered out from the tangling of his bangs.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and reluctantly answered, "Yes?"

He hesitated.

"I...." he sighed, exasperated. "What you did today was....really stupid. So stupid that I still refuse to apologize to you."

Rin balled a fist and clenched her teeth.

"But..I will say this."

She narrowed her eyes again and lowered her fist.

"You are definately the first.. other than my own father to take a swing at _me_....yea got guts Rin."

A weird pulse feeling went off in Sesshomaru's brain just as he turned his head back forward.

_' The first to hit you?....Wait......Is that right? ' _

He frowned, troubled, and mentally shook his brain of the confusing thought. He left and Rin was standing there in awe and disbelief, alone.

"Was that a....compliment?"

Steeltoe shrilly neighed and Rin, a little shaken, snapped her head in his direction.

~*~

_'I'm so strange? __**I am**__. You? __**You**__ are so strange. __**He**__ is strange. __**She**__ is strange. __**"It" **__is strange. __**WE ARE **__**STRANGE**__...' _Rin idly thought while swinging her legs over a bar she was sitting on.

"Strange...strange....strange..." she whispered to herself watching a near dying stream swirl under her feet. Swinging her head back up she observed Sesshomaru from a short distance in front of her spraying the body of a very dirty chestnut horse with a hose.

She had been watching Sesshomaru work over the past hour. He of course paid no mind to her and avoided all eye contact.

_' He said I had guts....so in a round about way he sort of said I was strong.....But he didn't really take back what he said before...' _

The chestnut grunted with a loud snort. Rin shot her head back up. The horse swung it's head and tried to stretch it's neck farther. On both sides of the clearly agitated horse were two ropes clipped from the bars to the halter to keep the horse standing in place during baths and grooming.

"Come on..." Sesshomaru groaned lowering the hose in his hand. "I need to wash off your damn chest..."

He stepped closer and the horse flared it's nostrils keeping it's head stretched as high and far as it could. It's red ears pinned back and began to hoof at the pavement.

He frustratedly sighed and walked away from the horse. With the hose away from it's face the horse started to relax again but kept a sharp look out at him from the corner of it's eyeball.

"It's afraid of the hose...how the hell I'm I suppose to get near it...." he muttered to himself just as his eyes landed on a musty looking towel half hanging out of a big bucket where other horse cleaning gear was tossed into.

~*~

"There we go..." Sesshomaru cautiously peered up at the horse while he massaged it's neck with a soaking wet towel.

The chestnut blew through it's nostrils and blinked a couple of times. It made weird noises from it's throat.

"That's a good girl...." he watched her as he lowered himself onto his knees.

She swung her head apprehensively and snorted. Sesshomaru cursed under his breath and bolted upright.

"No...easy girl....easy..." he replied calmly as he could and grabbed onto her halter to steady her head from swinging anymore. The horse whinnied as Sesshomaru began to rub the wet towel along her neck again. Droplets of water streamed down the interweavings of her auburn coat to her tense muscular shoulders.

"Easy..." he whispered slowly releasing his fingers from their clutch. She quieted, flicking her ears back and forth getting a feel of the towel against her body once more.

Rin had almost about jumped from her post but now slowly eased back in her posture and watched, captivated by what she was seeing.

"See..not bad..." he kept an eye on her as he steadily massaged the towel trailing it from her neck to her throat, right under her jaw.

He stiffened for a brief second at the sound of her tail swish but other than that she remained still and so he continued. He squeezed the towel as he rubbed it against her throat. Water ringed out and poured down the middle of her neck to her bulking chest. He looked down at the streaming water drip dropping from her chest and cascading down the long length of her legs onto the pavement below and then looked back up. She softly snorted, pinning her ears back.

Instead of groaning, he sighed. Groaning he figured would only make the horse more unsettled about letting him bathe at her chest.

"You've allowed me to get this close.." he said as he scrubbed up and down the middle of her neck. She flicked her ears at him, breathing alittle louder.

"Easy girl..." he hesitantly began to lightly pat her neck with his other hand. He felt the drenched coarseness of her coat. She was quiet except for the loud back and forth swatting of her tail. Her mild demeanor had caused him to relax some as he turned his pats into gentle strokes.

"Easy..." he whispered not leaving her gaze. In mid stroke he slid his fingers down and took his hand off her neck.

He stared at the palm of his hand unsurely and uplifted his eyes back to the horse. She grunted with a toss of her head. His eyes trailed up her long snout to her wide forehead where the red hairs of her coat adjoined and spiraled out under the nappy strands of her auburn forlock. She flicked her ears back and forth and stared at him, half curious and half vigilant.

He blinked as his eyesight began to blur from staring too long and looked down for a couple of seconds before pumping up a loud sigh rolling his eyes back into the mare's. With little effort though, visibly shaking, he lifted his hand.

A warm puff of air steamed out beneath the curvy lines of his palm. Sesshomaru looked up from his hand into those huge, dark, pupils that blinked under flickering eyelashes that he could not find himself to draw away from. Her benevolent gaze speaked so tenderly and he bore the expression of child like wonder and respectful maturity.

The trembles in his fingers drew him back and he blinked twice feeling the tap, tap, tap. He gazed downward, tracing his fingers upon her rugged, umber skin.

Her lips parted open and all swinging of her limbs ceased to a halt. She watched him in quiet awe and that was all she could. Fore in that brief moment she felt she was no longer even there. She was a _ghost_.

After taking his time he finally closed his split up fingers together and he flashed his eyes back into hers just as the quake of her nostrils gave to another sighing breath.

"Now will you let me wash your chest?" he asked with not a complete, but a teeny, tiny, smile, pinching at the corners of his mouth.

~*~

He was a spur of energy. It actually worked! She allowed him to wash her chest! Feeling invigorated, he with much bounce in his step than a tap dancer quickly got to shampooing her back. The mare flexed, tettering her sides like a rocking boat against the wave and whipped her tail at a couple of annoying flies pecking at her rump. She blew through her nostrils with a twist of her ears. Sesshomaru did not take this sign as threatening at all, only normal and with the catchy beat of a song stuck in his head spun the soapy sponge over her water and sudsy soaked back faster.

_' I feel like the fuckin' Karate Kid... ' _

The "wax on, wax off" scene from movie played in his head while he repeated the exact clock wise hand motion, except he was doing it on a horse instead of on a car. Same huge yellow sponge though. The memory made him grin and then he bit all the way down on his bottom lip to keep himself from laughing out loud. It was hard though as he roamed the sponge up the horse's withers and then rotated the sponge over her hefty right shoulder. The memory still fresh in his brain begun to rewind back farther.

_' Koga had that movie...I was sleeping over at his house..we watched it. We had to be...What?....Nine? Yea! Nine! I remember that...when Mr. Miyagi made Daniel wash cars and told him about wax on, wax off. We thought that was so hilarious. We kept saying it to eachother and laughing...wax on...wax off....wax on...wax off...' _

"Wax on...wax off...." softly slipped out his lips as he continued to squish the sponge over her shoulder and then bent down to wash along her foreleg. Still quoting the line under his breath, he squeezed the sponge brushing it back up her foreleg and then flung himself up rotating the sponge over the right side of her stomach.

"Wa-" he flashed his eyes up and all that left his throat was but a cut-off inaudible squeak just before he clamped his mouth entirely shut. His hand halted in place and he froze still as a statue. _She_ was standing right across the horse, facing him. Standing tall with those two obnoxious and girlish plaits braided in her hair, and _staring_.

Subconsciously, he wondered how long had she just been standing there, _staring_. He blinked at her and swallowed a build up of saliva down his throat. The skin above his upper lip twitched and he slowly began to push the sponge back and forth.

The horse shook it's head and nickered, swaying her body impatiently. Her lips curved into a smile turning her eyes up at the the red horse that gazed down at her from the corner of it's eye. She raised her arm and petted the animal on the neck.

"I meant it."

Sesshomaru stopped again and glanced at her.

"When I said you were a natural with the horses."

"Uh.." he blinked at her and then shifted his eyes and walked further towards the horse's thigh with the sponge.

"I was only doing what I thought was right. Nothing natural about it..." he frowned and glimpsed at her for a second before looking at the horse's thigh again.

"Well...you are."

He quickly glanced at her just as she turned around to continue doting on the horse.

"Yea I'd have to say the way you handled Wildfire, here, was most impressively, considering you're new at this n' all. This is the first time you've actually bathed her isn't it?"

Rin faced him, idly brushing her fingers along the horse's red ear. He only nodded and she was sufficed and went back to facing the horse.

"Yea dad should've mentioned she hates it when you get too close to her with the hose. When she was alot younger my brother was helping my dad give her a bath. At one point he wasn't looking and not paying attention to where he had his hand pointed and accidently sprayed water right in her eyes and face. That's why she's like that, but anywhere else on her body she doesn't mind the hose."

Sesshomaru didn't reply as he ran the soapy sponge over the horse's hindquarters. And Rin continued talking.

"She's also not so fond of stranger's handling her.." she smiled with a laugh as the horse playfully tried to nudge at her.

Sesshomaru kept his eyes lowered on his hand washing but against his better judgement every few seconds glanced quickly back and forth at her. She had moved infront of the mare and swept her hand over the horse's wet and kinky forelock, giggling. The horse seemed to be just as jolly and yearned with impatient sways to be free.

She grinned as the horse shook it's head, softly snorting and nickering. Rin raised her hand and begun to pet the animal's forehead all the way down her snout.

"Wildfire, now, she's _my _horse. She was mine my dad told me the night after she was born. She was the horse I was riding that day you..um.." she stopped and cleared her throat with a fake cough to correct herself. "_Anyway_...we've always owned horses on our farm but when I was about to turn eight I was determined to have and take care of a horse that I could call my very own. He promised me that whichever mare at the time was pregnant and who gave birth first that coming spring, that mare's foal would be mine. And then came Wildfire.."

Sesshomaru stopped washing the horse once he noticed how eerily quiet it had gotten. He stood still hovering some over the horse's thigh, half afraid to look up and over just so she could catch him in the act when he was pretending not to listen. He waited a few more seconds and then uplifted his eyes for another quick glance anyway just as curiosity got the better of him. She was beaming admirably up at _her_ horse. His eyebrow raised alittle and he gazed passively at the girl he once went to middleschool with and now under court law, lived with. Her hazel eyes shone distant and far away twinkling of pride and love and her cheek-blooming, bright smile was at the same time almost sad looking. She had big, funny looking ears too.

_' This is a record for her...' _ he remarked about her sudden long silence and turned his eyes back to the attention of his unfinished work. A few seconds after he started bathing the horse's hindquarters again, Rin moved her limp hand to pet her horse above the eye.

"I named her Wildfire, after that song....I heard it playing on the radio once when I was sitting in the backseat of my mom's car. It became my favorite, especially since it's about a wild horse" she spoke this time looking and smiling at him. He was nearly done with shampooing her horse. She looked up at Wildfire and gave her pat on the neck and then looked back over at him.

"Hey Sesshomaru, sometime on one of your Sunday's off, we should go horse back riding."

He stopped everything he was doing and looked at her like she was, well, insane. "You're joking, right?"

"No."

He shook his head and wiped the sponge one last time on the horse and dropped it into the bucket of water near him, "Forget it."

"Come on...it'd be fun..."

He picked up the bucket and walked toward her, "I said forget it. I fucking hate horses anyway..."

She blinked in suprise as he glided past her, "What?! Why?"

He irritably sighed carefully placing the bucket down. He decided to answer her after all, he probably would not hear the end of it from her if he didn't. He spoke harshly and sarcastically without looking at her while he bent over to pick up the hose and went over to the wall to turn the facuet on.

"Because....when I was a kid, my dad made me go to some client of his' son's birthday party. I didn't even know the kid, really. It was an outside party with a clown, a moon bounce, and all that shit and just because my dad was there I had to go along with everything the other kids did. So I'm stuck in a line with a bunch of these spoiled, bitch-whiny kids to go on the pony ride.... when it was my turn...the pony guy then grabs me, calls me "sprout," as if I'm his own damn boy and seats me fast and hard in this big saddle..." Sesshomaru approached Wildfire and ran the slow steady hose water stream over her back and sides. She swatted her tail and swayed a little at the sudden cold chill.

"..He tells me to hold onto the reins and to "not worry...it's _safe_....you'll have _so much fun_ you'll be back in line to go again..." Well I hold on as tight as I can just as he gets the pony moving....and the next thing I know.. I'm down on the ground after the damn horse suddenly freaked out and reared. My hands slipped out and I fell right off..." he then sneered lifting the hose up and down to get the water and soap streaming faster down her thigh and left back leg. "Last time I fucking_ tried _trusting an adult."

Rin frowned at him with pity, "Okay, so you had one accident. There's no guarentee that it will happen again."

"Sounds like a pretty slim guarentee to me" he doubtfully replied with a hint of his dry sarcasm, while watering down the last suds on the horse's left side. He lowered the hose and put it in his other hand so Wildfire wouldn't see it as he was about to walk infront and around her to hose down the right side of her, but Rin stopped him.

He scowled at her.

"Look I know you said you got hurt before, but believe me, if you keep thinking like that you will."

"So what's the point then?" he was getting frustrated, she could tell.

"Sesshomaru, haven't you ever heard that old saying?"

"Don't go on beating a dead horse?" he sarcastically remarked.

She rolled her eyes knowing he was just trying to irritate her and to that he bit his bottom lip to hide an amused, small smile.

"No..smart guy. When you fall off a-" Rin started just as Sesshomaru nodded his head a couple of times with a roll of his eyes repeating the last part of the quote with her, obviously well aware she was going to say that.

"-Horse you gota get back on...yea, yea..I've heard that one before..who knew some took it literally.."

He of course was directing to her and she knew it, "Come on Sesshomaru, I can teach you."

"Oh, now I'm leaping for joy...by the way you're wasting my time... and water" he replied like a downright smartass and gave the still running hose in his hand a little shake.

She frowned at him as he brushed past her left and turned her head as he went around and over to Wildfire's right side.

"Really I can! Come on, Sesshomaru.... at least it would be a lot better than working on the farm and staying cooped up in the guest bedroom all summer..."

_"She's got a point there.." (laughs)_

_' Shutup.' _

He glared at her, hating to admit the fact that she, indeed, was right. He had been very bored for the past few days, aside from all the conflict going on in his head and between the two of them. This was _his _summer and he was doing nothing and then he thought suddenly what of all the rest of June, July, and the first two weeks of August before highschool starts. What then?

_' I'll be doing nothing but fucking..farmwork...' _

He tightened his clutch on the hose and faced away from her so she wouldn't see a self inflicted frown fall upon his face. He would not be bested though, and returned to his scowl. His pride was at stake and he was always one to put his pride first, before anything else.

"I don't care" he replied keeping his eyes low while spraying at the chestnut's back legs.

"You're a horrible liar" she replied in a brutally honest tone.

He growled exasperatedly and glared at her again, "And _you're _a fuckin' HUGE pain in my ass."

Choosing to ignore his insult, which relatively surprised him, Rin only grinned and said, "So, is that a _yes_?"

He lowered the hose in his hand and faced her, "You enjoy bugging me, don't you?"

She bit her lip and smiled, a guilty smile, "Some..times."

He just huffed and rolled his ever angry and full of angst eyes, "Figures...Rin do me a favor and just drop it okay? 'Cause it ain't ever gonna happen."

He turned around to get a spot he had missed on Wildfire's stomach.

Her snickering smile was now gone and she was serious again, "You _really_ want to spend the _whole_ summer doing _this_..?"

She waved her arms out.

"Yep...pretty much..." he nonchalantly answered while forcing the words right from his throat trying to keep himself from throwing up a little in his mouth. He still felt a rotten taste on his tongue.

_' I think I just died a little on the inside.' _

"Oh come on, don't kid yourself Sesshomaru" she shook her head thinking to herself.

_' He really is a __**lousy**__ liar. ' _

"Look, I really don't want to watch you do this all summer."

"Thanks for the sympathy.." he sneered brushing past her to get around her and the horse again. He stood by the bucket, which he previously had drained into the nearby sink while he was telling Rin his pony ride story, and begun filling it up again with fresh hose water.

"You know what I mean.." she pressed.

"Do I?" he raised his eyebrow questionably at her, playing dumb.

"Okay, Sesshomaru, you tell me what you think I mean" she eagerly awaited his answer with a haughty stare and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I think you just want to see me fall flat on my ass" he irritably growled with a slight groan regretting how he ever got into this conversation with her. He glanced down at the bucket, still not adqeuately full enough yet.

"Are you serious? I already told you I would he-"

His eyes then got livid and she stopped herself just in time before saying the "H" word. She softly groaned having to pause and think for a second before answering again.

"I.. said that I would teach you how to ride a horse the right way, didn't I?"

"Yea, but that still doesn't mean there isn't a chance I could fall."

She sighed, hating to admit it to herself and shrugged her shoulders some, "Yea, but-"

"Then I'm not going. See? Easy" he replied self-satisfied and looked at the bucket again. Good enough, he moved the hose away from the bucket.

"Why are you so afraid of getting hurt so badly? You weren't before when you tried to jump out that window" she sincerely asked losing her temper a little without intentionally meaning to do so. She hadn't meant to bring up that ugly incident but she just really wanted to know.

His eyes widened angrily, glaring, "I'm not _afraid."_

"Well, then, what is it?" she again asked not so nicely and more impatiently.

"I just-"

_' We just don't want to see you get hurt anymore. If something happens we..would never forgive ourselves. '_

_Mrs. Kasama...._

He frowned, "I just don't want to, alright?! Damn! Is that so hard?! Just leave me the fuck alone Rin.."

She stared at him, not blinking an eye.

He growled and looked away, hoping she would stop, he looked back at her and growled again loudly frustrated, gnashing his teeth, his free hand now a fist (you could hear his knuckles crack).

"What?!"

She kept staring at him until.. and then incrediably, (_"un-__**FUCKING**__-believable"_,as Sesshomaru would so lightly pronounce it) a slow, trembling, creeping, _smile _snaked itself across her face.

"You're _scared_."

He addressed that sickening ' Aw, isn't that cute look ' in her eyes and snarled.

"I am _not_" he retorted, narrowing his eyes that they were but slits.

"Are too."

"Are not!"

"Are too."

"Are not! And I'm gonna rip that fucking smile off your face if you don't stop-"

"Then prove it!"

"**No! **For the love of-Get it through your fucking hillbilly head Rin! I-AM-NOT-GOING! Not now, not ever. I hate horses. And the last fucking thing I would want to do is to go and ride one. So this conversation is officially over, it's done. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, you can say to convince me otherwise..." he stopped and inhaled some much needed air for his nearly expired lungs. His flashing red, amber eyes glared at her in the most ornery manner, but not near as ferocious as before. A drop of sweat glistened and trickled down his temple.

Rin glanced at her side as her horse started to shift uncomfortablely and vibrated through her nose. She kinda looked far off, thinking, and touched Wildfire's muzzle. Then her eyebrow popped up and she looked over at Sesshomaru and soon approached where he stood.

He sniffed at her, upper lip snarling some, a growl lowly rattling around in his throat. Not the least bit frightened was she but a tad nervous knowing full well he was serious and she soon should back off but she was now on the verge of wishful thinking. She boldly stared into the face of 'Danger,' exhaled, and dared to take the plunge.

"My..guitar."

Slowly, his silver eyebrows rose, creasing lines into his forhead. His growling soon dwindled away into nothing and his snarl wilted into a stunted sort of frown, his set of teeth still clenched together. Slowly, but surely though his mouth opened up a little as his jaw lowered.

He blinked, "....What?"

She swallowed in some courage and began to speak again, confident she had his full undivided attention now.

"This Sunday. If you (she pointed at him) go horseback riding out with me, I'll let you play with my (she then pointed at herself) guitar anytime you want to."

Sesshomaru's shoulders slumped as he stood back and looked away from her in a daze sort of stare.

_' That guitar....' _

Rin's blue and black acoustic twinkled like a diamond in the sunlight as he thought of it, hugged securely in her arms, lying in the shady grass.

His eyes grew a little bigger as he watched his hand raise and strike the pick at the guitar strings. His fingers pressing up and down, up and down, to and fro across the Fender's neck. He could hear music. All kinds of music. _His_ music.

_' I want that guitar....' _

_' But...' _

He looked at Rin.

_"Oh just think of what you could do!" _

He frowned, "...Anytime?"

"Yea."

He a little angry and excited lunged a little closer in front of her, "But..you mean it? You're serious? Anytime I want? Literally whenever I want? Morning, noon or night?"

She bobbed her head in a bit of a nod, "Anytime you want, Sesshomaru."

He then narrowed his eyes crossly, "You better not be fucking messing with me Rin 'cause if you are-"

"I swear" she held up her right hand. "I mean it, anytime you want to play with it, just let me know and I'll give it to you. But _first_ you have to let me take you horse back riding this Sunday_ and_-"

"And?" he asked not too eagerly.

"And I want you from now on to start treating me with respect and not tease or belittle me anymore."

He sniffed indifferently, "And if I refuse?"

She narrowed her eyes now staring him straight in the eyes, "Then no guitar. Ever."

He softly growled as she and him stood their ground in a staring contest of battling wits. She smirked knowing she had him and it only made him angrier but he had it written all over his face. He not only wanted the guitar, he _needed_ it. He cursed himself on the inside for now but all he could think about was playing with that guitar later on. He snarled at her cocky self.

"Rin..you _really_ are a pain in my ass.."

Her smirk deepened into a full out grin, "A pain or a total delight to have around?"

"A pain.." Sesshomaru deadpanned and raised the hose.

"Ah!" she exclaimed having no time to react other than her eyes widening in the one second she had before the instant shock of cold hose water splashed her entire face. Comically looking she gasped and touched her wet cheeks with both hands. Her bangs flattened and stuck to her soaked forehead while her drenched braids dripped drop consistent beads of water. The area below her neck and shoulders were damp as well. She dropped her hands and stared at him in disbelief.

"Now, we're even.." Sesshomaru replied with a very mirthy smirk.

She blew from her mouth and shook her soaking wet head and hair.

"Here."

She opened her eyes just to get a nice dry towel from the shelf handed to her. She looked down at the towel and back at him.

"Take this and then get away from me.." he tried to say seriously while trying to get rid of his smile but the little bursts of laughter kept hiccuping through his throat.

Rin stared at him wanting to be angry but couldn't help the contagiousness of his smile as hers creeped up on her and she swayed her head at him and her chest bubbled until she laughed out loud and buried her face in the towel. She then went back to sitting on the bar, swinging her legs, and watching him at a distant while he tended to her horse. All the while, grinning.

~*~

"What have I gotten myself into..." Sesshomaru groaned sitting up and on the edge of the bedside. He groggily turned his head and growled at the alarm clock's incessant beep and pressed it to stop. He then stared sleepily into space again and then rolled his eyes back into his skull just as he fell back onto the mattress.

All of last night he had asked himself the same question and barely got any sleep because of it. He just agreed to the unthinkable; go and hang out with Rin and for all the damn things it had to be horse back riding, one of many of his intense dislikes. He closed his eyes with a stern expression upon his face while he relaxed to the sound of silence. It was short though, as he flicked his ear and could perfectly hear the Kasama family gathered in the kitchen. Well most of them the one missing was..

There was a loud knock at his door.

"Hey Sesshomaru you awake?"

He opened his eyes and narrowed them tiredly at the door.

"Yes..."

"Alright then, get dressed, breakfast is ready" Mr. Kasama instructed and left.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes up at the ceiling.

"I let Rin talk me into spending my day off with her..."

_"Sounded more like bribery to me..."_

"Exactly. That conniving little..grrr..she knew what she was doing...didn't she?"

_"Not sure, maybe."_

"Yea well..whatever...what's done is done.. unfortunately. Damn, if Koga ever saw me on a horse with Rin there he'd be laughing his ass off. My cousin...oh man he'd just make it worse..a whole lot worse.."

He even covered his hand over his eyes in deep embarrassment.

Sesshomaru could just picture his eccentric cousin laughing his ass off too but rubbing it in his face more so until he was asking for a punch or a shove. He could hear him cheerfully taunting, "_**You**_ got whipped by this _**human girl**_."

But then all other thoughts ceased as he remembered the reason why he agreed to go horse back riding with Rin in the first place. He playfully smirked.

"Hmph...It's worth it, for that guitar. Even Sullie would have to agree to that.."

~*~

With the guitar in his thoughts it diminished his dim spirits and enabled him to get up and out of bed. He yawned and rubbed the sleep still at his eye with the back of his hand while stepping down the last couple of stairs. He walked down the hall pass the living room and found himself in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Oh there you are hon', here grab a seat."

His eyes widened a little noticing Mrs. Kasama sitting at the kitchen table and Rin cooking in front of the stove. He nodded at Mrs. Kasama and sat in the seat she gestured to which was right beside her. He pushed his chair in and cautiously looked around the table. Kasama, Danny, and Mrs. Kasama were all seated and were already eating their breakfast. He turned and watched as Rin slid a sunny side up egg with a spatula from the frying pan onto a plate. She quickly added four slices of toast to the same plate and turned off the stove.

He looked at Mrs. Kasama as she began to speak.

"Rin, it is so generous of you to volunteer and wake yourself up early in the morning just to make breakfast for everyone."

Rin turned around with two plates in her hands. "Well mom you work just as hard as dad and I just thought that this would be a nice thing to do for you, yea know just to give you a break from having to rush in the morning and make everyone breakfast."

"Hon' where did we ever get such a wonderful daughter?" Mrs. Kasama smiled facing her husband.

"She's a gift from Heaven, dear" he lovingly smiled back to his wife. Danny shifted his eyes from both parents while he ate.

"Dad.." she smiled just as she stood by him so he could give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you pumpkin."

She laughed, "It's no problem really. I'm happy to do it.."

Sesshomaru watched while Rin made her way past her father and placed the plates of breakfast on the table and sat down in the only other available chair which was next to him. He stared at her while she slid one plate in front of him and subtly winked.

"Eat up Sesshomaru."

A broad and a true genuine smile graced his features. Rin grinned back at him while cutting a white sliver of her sunny side up egg with her fork. He then stared at his plate and hungrily dug in.

_I know I told you that one day, before, that I trusted you and you made us shake hands. I gota be honest, I didn't really mean it as sad as that is. No, you completely earned my entire trust the morning you decided to make breakfast for me for the rest of the summer, just so I wouldn't have to take my medication. Rin, that was the moment when I started to consider...when I began to look at you.. as a friend. _

_**Hey hoped you enjoyed Chapter 13! Please Review! Thanks! As you have read we are starting to get more in depth with Rin's character and yes Sullie is Sesshomaru's cousin and the same cousin that was referenced as a Klepto in Chapter 1. Sullie is my own original idea so please do not steal him and use him in any of your own Sesshomaru fanfics. That song Sesshomaru sang when he saw the rooster weather vane is an actual song if you already did not know that, it's "Rooster" by Alice in Chains. Awesome song from an awesome alternative grungy 90's band. As always spontoneous updates will be expected. Thank you once again for reading my fanfic and putting up with the long wait. **_

_**Much love,**_

_**Vinyl_Mono  
**_


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